Journey of Love and Fear
by Faberrittanainthetardis
Summary: Third in my AMC/BTVS crossover sequel to My Everything and My Forever Love. Something new is after the Girls. How will they fight their fears to overcome it? BAM Bianca/Maggie and Fuffy Faith/Buffy pairings. Warning for: Violence, Drama and Fluff,
1. Chapter 1

**So here's the first chapter of the sequel. Hope y'all enjoy :) **

Chapter 1 

"I'm glad we decided to move in" Maggie commented suddenly as she glanced to her left at Bianca who was walking next to her, their hands clasped tightly.

"Me too" Bianca smiled warmly "This place really does feel like home...and Miranda loves it here too"

Maggie nodded in agreement "Uh-huh"

Bianca turned her gaze to Maggie sensing something in her tone "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" the older girl replied "It's just. I don't know...I have a weird feeling. Like something's going to..."

"Whoa!" Bianca exclaimed as she stopped short causing Maggie to stop too "Don't say that. Whenever they say that in Movies something always happens"

"This isn't the movies" Maggie informed her with a bright smile "I doubt that anything's..."

"Okay" Bianca held up a hand to stop her girlfriend "Maybe you should stop with all of the unlucky movie clichés"

Maggie shook her head in amusement as they started to walk again "God you're weird Bianca"

"Nope" Bianca stated adamantly "I'm sane. These clichés are in the movies so that we don't do them in real life...Y'know like running up the stairs instead of out the front door etc"

"Riiiight" Maggie grinned "If you say so"

"I do"

"I still say you're weird" Maggie added as they neared the front door.

"Whatever" Bianca smiled warmly "Keys?"

Maggie pulled her hand from Bianca's and searched briefly through her pockets before finding her keys. They entered the house and shut the door behind them before following the sound of voices to the living room. They were greeted by the sight of Faith lying on the couch with Miranda sitting on her stomach perfectly balanced. Buffy glanced up from where she was researching and smiled brightly at them, offering them a wave. Faith was too busy chatting animatedly to Miranda who appeared totally enraptured to notice their quiet entrance.

"That's so cute" Maggie gushed teasingly causing Faith to look up at them.

"Shut up" she mumbled, blushing brightly before she turned back to Miranda.

"I agree" Bianca added.

"Same here" Buffy called as she pushed the books away from her and stood up, stretching slightly.

"Hey!" Faith protested "It's not fair to gang up on me!" she moved her gaze to Buffy "And you're supposed to be on my side!"

Buffy shrugged "And...?"

"I'm not _Cute" _Faith responded instantly "I'm _Hot, _remember?"

"You're full of yourself" Maggie grinned jokingly.

"Yeah, Whatever" Faith pouted. She turned back to Miranda and her frown turned instantly to a bright smile. Maggie shook her head and laughed out loud at her.

"What?" Faith questioned, still not looking up.

"I didn't say anything!" Maggie defended innocently.

"Where did you guys go anyway?" Buffy asked as she walked over to them.

"A walk" Bianca answered, holding up a small paper bag "And we brought you guys' breakfast"

"Oh My God Really?" Faith grinned, finally looking away from Miranda "You two are a total Godsend...Did you happen to buy some Coffee because I think we're out..."

"Yep" Maggie answered "So I take it you're not mad at me anymore?"

"I wasn't anyway" Faith responded quietly.

"But..."

"Ow!" Faith exclaimed as Miranda batted at her cheek.

"That means she likes you" Bianca informed her with a smile.

"She has a great way of showing it" Faith observed, smiling winningly at Miranda who had grabbed both of the slayer's thumbs in her small fists.

"Vampire's beating you up you can handle" Maggie pointed out "But Miranda slapping you hurts?"

"You're infuriating" The slayer replied.

"I'm hurt" the dyed brunette said mockingly as she placed her free hand over her heart. Bianca rolled her eyes at her girlfriend before she released her hand and walked over to the chair opposite the couch practically falling onto it.

"You seem tired" Faith said glancing over at her.

"Yeah well,_ someone" _Bianca shot a glare at Maggie who shrugged innocently "Woke me up really early and refused to leave me alone"

"Refused to leave you alone?" Faith winked mischievously.

"Yeah" Bianca nodded obliviously. She frowned after a moment "Wait...You...Faith!"

The dark haired slayer grinned as a pink tint covered Bianca's cheeks "I didn't...I mean. It wasn't like that..."

"Sorry" Faith spoke up as Bianca sunk down in her chair "I'll behave" she shifted uncomfortably on the couch and sat up carefully, making sure Miranda was secure.

"Bianca?" Buffy spoke up suddenly causing Bianca to look away from Faith towards the older slayer "Are you coming...?" she motioned behind her.

"Where to?" Bianca questioned in slight confusion.

"You look like you need some coffee" Buffy explained.

"Oh!" Bianca said slowly as she stood up from the couch "Yeah, I do" she glanced at Faith and motioned towards Miranda "Do you want me to...?"

"Yeah" Faith winced as she attempted to untangle the young girls hand from her hair as gently as possible. When she was finally free she handed her to Bianca "Thanks Bianca"

Bianca offered her a soft smile and walked out of the room. Buffy was about to follow when Faith caught her wrist in a gentle grip "B?"

"Yeah?"

Faith cast a subconscious look at Maggie before pulling Buffy closer to her.

"I love you" she whispered.

"I love you too" Buffy replied just as softly as she pressed a tender kiss to Faith's lips. She pulled back after a minute and smiled warmly at Faith before following Bianca out of the room.

"You're such a softy" Maggie smiled as she slumped down on the couch next to Faith and nudged her gently.

Faith frowned "I am not!"

"Hey" Maggie said as she glanced at the doorway to make sure Buffy and Bianca were in the kitchen "What's wrong?"

Faith looked up at her in surprise "Why do you think that something's wrong?"

"Because I know you" Maggie replied as she placed her hand on top of Faith's "And I happen to know when you're trying to hide something...So c'mon Spill, What's wrong?"

"I'm happy" Faith said simply.

Maggie frowned in confusion "And that's bad because...?"

Faith sighed "I don't know...I guess I just feel like it's too good to be true or something"

"Why is everybody so cynical?" Maggie wandered out loud before she grasped Faith's hand tightly "Buffy loves you right?"

"Right" Faith responded hesitantly.

"You don't sound sure" Maggie observed quietly.

"Well how should I know if she loves me or not?" Faith shrugged.

Maggie exhaled noisily "Faith you're my best friend apart from Bianca but I swear to God I feel like slapping you sometimes"

"Thanks" Faith muttered dryly "I'm having a crisis and you wanna slap me"

"Okay" Maggie said calmly "I didn't mean that BUT I thought you had gotten past all of this..." she squeezed Faith's hand gently "You know she loves you!"

"You're right" Faith said softly "I'm sorry"

Maggie rolled her eyes "What for?"

"I know I can be pessimistic sometimes and I ..." Faith started.

"It's okay" Maggie interrupted "I understand"

"You do?" Faith asked quietly.

Maggie nodded and Faith pulled her into a tight hug "Thanks Mags"

"Anytime" Maggie whispered returning the tight embrace. When she pulled away she looked at Faith closely "Is that why you were so snappy with me earlier?"

Faith winced "Yeah...Sorry about that..."

"Don't worry about it" Maggie reassured her "But you're okay now, right?"

"Yeah" Faith nodded "Just a bad start to the day...I guess I need some coffee" she stood up and the room began to spin as a slight pain passed through her head "Whoa!"

"What?" Maggie questioned as she stood up and grabbed Faith's arm to steady her "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I'm fine" Faith said softly as she glanced at Maggie "I just stood up to fast" she smiled at the younger girl "Chill"

Maggie rolled her eyes as she followed Faith into the kitchen where Bianca stood drinking coffee next to the Counter and Buffy was pacing with Miranda. Faith rushed instantly to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup of steaming coffee. She leaned against the counter and took a tentative sip, a sigh of relief escaping her as she swallowed the strong liquid. Maggie shook her head in amusement at the slayer's dramatics before she moved over to Bianca and wrapped her arms around her from behind.

"Hey" she whispered as she placed a soft kiss on Bianca's shoulder.

"Hi" Bianca smiled warmly when she turned around to face Maggie. She leaned forward and placed a tentative kiss on her lips.

"You guys are sickeningly sweet" Faith said from where she stood watching them, coffee still held firmly in her grasp.

Maggie stuck her tongue out at her "Whatever"

"Mature come back" Bianca whispered in her ear.

"Hey!" Maggie exclaimed in offence.

"I'm just saying" Bianca grinned.

"Are you guys still coming on patrol later?" Buffy spoke up suddenly causing all eyes to focus on her.

"Yeah" Bianca and Maggie said in unison.

"You still coming with us Faith?" Buffy questioned, glancing at the dark haired slayer.

"Hell yeah!" Faith exclaimed casting a grin at Bianca and Maggie "We have a score to settle tonight"

"You're not gonna win" Maggie argued.

"We'll see" Faith nodded.

---

The blonde slayer leaped into the air effortlessly and sent a hard kick at the vampires head. She twisted her whole body so she landed facing away from the dazed vamp.

"Ha!" Faith exclaimed as Buffy whirled around and staked the vampire in one fluid motion "We win! 7-4 ! And we didn't even break a sweat...unlike you guys"

Indeed Bianca and Maggie were breathing heavily and grasping their sides.

"Actually" Buffy stated from where she had slumped to the ground "I think I broke my ankle"

"What?!" Faith questioned in slight panic as she rushed to her girlfriend. Maggie too rushed over though she was still breathing quite heavily.

"Let me see" Maggie mumbled as she pulled Buffy's jeans up slightly to reveal her ankle which had already started to swell "I don't think it's broken...Maybe sprained..." she looked around "Um...I need..."

Faith nodded and grabbed her shirt under her jacket tearing a strip of material easily off. She handed it to Maggie.

"Thanks" Maggie said quietly as she took the material and dressed Buffy's ankle as gently. She heard Buffy wince and bit her lip guiltily "Sorry"

"Its fine" Buffy replied quietly.

"All done" Maggie stated at last "Just...stay off it for a while, okay?"

"Okay Doc" Buffy grinned.

Maggie shook her head in amusement as she offered Buffy a hand helping her up off the ground. The blonde slayer leaned heavily on her uninjured right foot.

"Need a lift?" Faith questioned as she steadied Buffy with an arm around her waist.

"Do you mind?" Buffy questioned somewhat piteously.

"Not at all" Faith smiled charmingly as she stepped forward and placed a light kiss on Buffy's lips. She turned around "Hop on"

Buffy limped forward slightly and wrapped her arms around Faith's neck before she jumped onto the younger girls back. Faith caught her and held her securely.

"At least we won" Buffy smiled quietly as she placed a soft kiss on Faith's cheek.

"Good point" Faith nodded as she started to walk. She glanced behind herself at Bianca and Maggie who were still standing in the same position "Are you two coming?" she began to walk again when the other two girls started to follow.

"And they say we're sickeningly sweet" Bianca commented as Maggie slipped her hand into hers.

"My thoughts exactly" Maggie said quietly as she leaned forward and kissed Bianca gently "I love you"

"I love you too" Bianca smiled warmly as she squeezed Maggie's hand tightly. They continued walking behind the two older girls they now called family until they reached the safety of the house.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**jds: Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it. Oh and I'm glad you noticed the thing with Faith. **

**Acester: Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you like my stories. **

**Minako366: Thank you for the review. There will definitely be more Buffy and Faith in here. **

**Hotcutii3: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like the story :) **

**Sorry the Chapter's a bit late but it's extra long :) There's quite a bit of angst and drama in this chapter so look out for that (Especially with Buffy and Faith). Oh and there are quite a few reference's to 'Heroes' in here (I couldn't resist) . Sorry if you haven't seen the show (You should totally see it by the way). Uh...Anyway...On with the Chapter...Hope you guys like it...**

Chapter 2 

"I don't see why you two always have to choose horror movies" Bianca grumbled nudging Maggie gently in the ribs.

"Hey!" Maggie exclaimed quietly as she tightened her grip on Bianca's hand.

"Are you seriously saying that you don't think this movie is awesome?" Faith questioned in disbelief.

"That's exactly what I'm saying" Bianca nodded "Anyway...It's scary as hell"

"I agree" Buffy contributed.

"See?!" Bianca grinned.

"Whatever" Faith stated rolling her eyes at the younger girl "you guys are being chicken's...Right Maggie?"

"Uh..." Maggie glanced at Bianca who gazed at her expectantly "Yeah"

"We are not!" the blonde girl exclaimed "I just don't get why we couldn't have watched something _else"_

"Yeah, right" Faith smiled softly as she pulled the blonde closer to her on the couch "Like re-runs of heroes?"

"I would have settled for anything which doesn't have this much blood in it" Buffy said motioning towards the TV screen "Don't you think we have enough of this stuff everyday in real life?"

"You may have a point there" Faith nodded. She smiled at the older girl and dropped a kiss on her forehead "Does it really bother you that much?"

"It doesn't bother me" Buffy replied as she took Faith's hand in her own.

"Are you sure, B? Because you know I would..."

"I'm fine" Buffy kissed Faith's knuckles tenderly "I promise"

"Okay" the dark haired slayer whispered.

"Y'know" Maggie grinned "You guys are almost as sweet as those Skittles" she gestured towards the pack of Skittles on the couch next to Faith.

Faith promptly blushed and threw one of the offending skittles at Maggie "Shut up"

"Have I told you today how cute you are when you blush?" Buffy whispered.

"Today?" Faith smiled warmly "I don't think so"

"Does anyone know what this movie is about?" Maggie questioned suddenly.

"Blood" Bianca and Buffy responded in unison.

Faith sighed and rolled her eyes "Maggie!"

"What?" Maggie asked innocently "I was only asking"

"Okay" Faith muttered leaning forward slightly in her chair "They..." she pointed to the screen "Are stuck in a building..."

"We got that" Bianca nodded.

"Which has been quarantined by the FBI or whatever. Hence the title...Are you with me?"

"Yeah..." Maggie nodded unsurely.

"And the virus in the building is making everybody kill each other...its simple" Faith concluded.

"I still don't get it" Bianca shrugged "So...It's basically about everybody killing each other? So everybody's going to die in the end"

"What else were we supposed to watch?" Faith questioned incredulously "Heroes?"

"Hey!" Buffy objected "Leave my show out of this!"

"Sorry B" Faith grinned "Anyway I know the only reason you watch that is because you think the cheerleader is hot!"

"Really?" Bianca questioned in surprise "I always kinda thought Elle was hotter"

Maggie glanced at her girlfriend in surprise who merely shrugged innocently.

"See B?!" Faith said triumphantly "I told you Elle was hotter! She has the whole screwed up thing going on...What do you think Maggie?"

Maggie shrugged "I kind of have to disagree with all of you..."

"Really?" Faith questioned in slight surprise "C'mon than Mags...Enlighten us"

"Nikki" Maggie replied simply.

"Hmmn" Buffy nodded in consideration "She has a good point"

"Nikki or Jessica?" Faith questioned.

"What's the difference?" Bianca asked in confusion.

"Jessica's more assertive. While she still cares for instance for her son she's in control of her emotions. It seems like she's just a bitch but she's actually only trying to protect Nikki and Micah" Faith explained "While Nikki on the other hand is sweet and...Mostly innocent. Although they're in essence the same person they're attractive in completely different ways"

"Right" Bianca nodded "What's with the in depth character analysis?"

Faith shrugged "I can relate" she glanced at Maggie "So which one?"

"Nikki" Maggie answered almost instantly.

"I thought you would say that" Faith nodded. She shifted her gaze back to the TV screen "Hey you made me miss my movie!"

"It was terrible anyway" Buffy commented.

"Was not" Faith grumbled.

"They all died" Bianca stated.

-----

"_Faith?" Buffy questioned stepping closer to the dark haired slayer. _

"_B" Faith responded _

"_What's wrong?"The older girl asked in concern "You sound...weird..."_

"_Nothing's wrong" Faith answered monotonously as she turned around "Nothing at all"_

"_You're bleeding!" Buffy attempted to step forward but found she couldn't move. _

"_I am" Faith stated glancing down at her blood soaked shirt "But you already knew that, didn't you?"She motioned towards Buffy's hand. _

"_What do you..."Buffy glanced down at her hand to see a bloody knife held loosely in her grip. She gasped in shock and the knife fell from her hand landing with a resounding clatter on the floor. _

"_I thought once would be enough for you..." the other girl continued "It obviously wasn't..."_

"_No!" Buffy shook her head vigorously as she gazed in disbelief at her own bloody hand "I wouldn't! Not...not again..."_

"_You did!" Faith interrupted forcefully "You did do it Buffy!"_

"_No!" Buffy closed her eyes "This isn't real! It's just an alternate reality or something!"_

"_No" Surprisingly Faith's voice sounded so much closer t her "It's not real yet but...It will be"_

"_What do you mean?!" Buffy opened her eyes to look at Faith who was indeed right in front of her "How?!I would never..."_

"_You would!" Faith interrupted "You would hurt me...Not right now but...In the future."_

"_How do you know that?!"_

"_She doesn't" a voice sounded from behind Faith "But I do..."_

_Buffy looked over Faith's shoulder to see a dark haired girl walking towards them. _

"_Fine!" she exclaimed "How do you know that?!"_

"_I see things" the girl explained "Things other people don't see...the future..." she gestured to Faith "I saw hers..."_

"_You're wrong!" Buffy stated adamantly "I wouldn't hurt her. I love her!"_

"_Maybe that's why you hurt her" the girl answered "I can't explain the future...I only SEE it...Clearly you don't believe me so...I'll have to show you..." she turned the the left and waved her hand causing a holographic image to appear in front of them. _

"_This is ridicu...." Buffy began. _

"_Just watch" the woman snapped. _

_Buffy sighed but turned her attention to the screen. _

"_What are you doing?" on screen Faith gasped as on screen Buffy pressed the knife to her abdomen. _

"_What has to be done" on screen Buffy whispered "I love you"_

_With that Buffy pushed the knife into Faith's stomach. _

"_OKAY!" Buffy yelled "THAT'S ENOUGH!"_

_The girl waved her hand and the screen disappeared "You believe me now?"_

"_No" Buffy shook her head "You're just messing with my head! This is not happening!"_

"_It IS!" the girl yelled "Only YOU CAN STOP IT!"_

Buffy shot up in bed breathing heavily. She glanced to her left to see Faith was still sleeping soundly and promptly scrambled out of the bed almost tripping over herself in her haste.

"Oh My God..." she raised a hand to her forehead as she walked over to the window "This is not happening! It can't be. It was just a stupid dream..."

"It wasn't a dream..." the voice floated through the room.

Buffy glanced at Faith to see when was still sleeping then around the room only to see nobody else in the room.

"This is not happening" she whispered as she turned around to gaze out of the window.

---

Faith shifted in her sleep and reach out for Buffy next to her. When she felt only air she shot up in the bed looking around the room frantically. She relaxed slightly when she noticed her girlfriend standing next to the window. She got up and walked slowly over to the blonde.

"B?" she whispered "Are you okay?" she moved closer and wrapped her arms around Buffy from behind.

"I'm fine" Buffy answered slightly choked.

"Jesus B, You're shaking!" Faith exclaimed as she stepped back and gently turned the other girl to face her. She noticed the tears on Buffy's cheeks and instantly pulled her into a strong hug "B?"

Buffy didn't answer instead tightening her grip on the dark haired slayer "Faith..."

"Okay" Faith whispered into Buffy's ear "its okay B"

Buffy finally pulled away from Faith to look into her eyes "You know that I would never hurt you, right?"

Faith appeared confuse but nodded anyway "Of course I know that"

Buffy bit her lip and looked away from Faith tears running down her cheeks.

"Buffy..." Faith lifted a hand to Buffy's cheek and gently wiped her tears away "You're really scaring me..."

"I had a nightmare" Buffy whispered "but...It was so real..."

"Hey" Faith murmured "It was just a dream okay? I'm fine...really"

Buffy nodded "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you..."

"I'm not going anywhere" the younger girl smiled reassuringly "I'm here for as long as you want me, okay?"

"Okay" Buffy nodded. She leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly to Faith's "I love you so much"

"I love you too" Faith responded sincerely as she wrapped her arms securely around the blonde.

---

"What's wrong?" Maggie questioned glancing at Faith as they walked through the dark cemetery.

"How do you know something's wrong?" Faith questioned.

"You're being unusually quiet" Maggie stated "Which means you're worried and you beat the hell out of at least 10 vamps...Which means you're pissed off at something."

Faith shrugged "I'm worried about B"

"Buffy?" Maggie questioned in concern "Why? What's wrong with her?"

"She seems to think she's going to 'hurt me'" Faith answered "I don't know what's wrong with her but...I woke up last night and she was standing at the window. She was really terrified. She was shaking and everything. She was talking about hurting me and losing me..."

Maggie frowned "Why would she think that she was going to lose you?"

"She said she had a dream but...It seemed real..."

"Right" Maggie bit her lip in contemplation "So what's the problem now?"

"She's being weird with me..." Faith sighed running a hand through her dark hair in exasperation "I don't know...She's distant..."

"Oh" Maggie said softly.

"Oh?" Faith questioned "That's all you've got?"

Maggie shrugged "Have you asked her about it?"

"I have" Faith responded "But she just says that she'll talk to me later...but even then I don't think she's going to tell me..."

"Maybe Bianca will get it out of her" Maggie reasoned.

"Maybe" the slayer sighed.

"I'm sure she'll be fine" Maggie said comfortingly "So how is it going in general with you two?"

Faith smiled at Maggie's attempt to distract her "It's great...Really great actually. I've never been this...close to someone...y'know?"

Maggie nodded "I know"

"It's hard to explain..." Faith said softly "And I know I'm going to sound like sap but...It's like when I'm with her I'm a different person. She makes me _want _to be a better person than I was before. She's just...everything to me..." she shrugged and blushed slightly.

"Fai?"

"Yeah?" Faith questioned.

"You're a sap" Maggie smiled teasingly "But it's kinda sweet..."

"Yeah, yeah..." Faith grinned before they fell into comfortable silence.

"It's kind of quiet" Faith said softly "Maybe we sh..." she trailed off as her knees seemed to give out from beneath her and her vision spun.

"Whoa!" Maggie exclaimed as she lurched forward and caught the older girl before she hit the floor "What was that?!"

Faith leaned heavily on Maggie who had an arm wrapped supportively around her waist "I have no idea..."

"Are you okay?" Maggie asked softly.

"Yeah" Faith answered slightly breathlessly "Just...give me a minute..."

"I think you should go see a doctor" Maggie said in concern as she tightened her grip on the other girl.

"What?!" Faith exclaimed "Why would I do that?!"

"You could be really sick!" Maggie answered.

"I'm not!" Faith gently pushed Maggie away but almost instantly found herself unable to stand.

"Damn it Faith!" Maggie exclaimed as she once again grabbed the slayer to stop her falling.

"I'll be fine" Faith said quietly as she wrapped an arm around Maggie's shoulders to support herself "I'm just a bit run down, that's all"

"It isn't!" Maggie objected "This is the second time it's happened Faith!"

Faith sighed "If it happens again I'll go to the doctors' okay?"

"Fine..." Maggie huffed not sounding at all happy with it. She tightened her grip on Faith and began to walk slowly.

"Oh...and Maggie?" Faith questioned.

"Uh-huh?" Maggie responded.

"Don't tell B about this Okay? She'll just worry"

"You've got to be kidding me...You want me to lie to her?!" Maggie asked disbelievingly.

"It's not really a lie..." Faith shrugged.

"Faith..."

"C'mon Maggie!" Faith pleaded "I just don't want to worry her even more...At least...not until she's told me what's wrong...I'll tell her after that, deal?"

"Fine" Maggie muttered "I won't tell her...But you owe me"

---

"We're back!" Faith called as she pulled away from Maggie slightly and tried experimentally to stand alone. When she found that she could do it without falling she flashed a warm smile at Maggie.

"Thanks"

"Anytime" Maggie shrugged as they walked into the living room to see Bianca and Buffy sitting on the couch.

"Hey" Faith said quietly.

Bianca looked up and offered her a small smile while Buffy stood up from the couch.

"Hey" the blonde said "You're back..." she glanced at Maggie and smiled weakly at her "Hey Maggie"

"Hey" Maggie said as she gazed in unadulterated concern at Buffy.

"Uh Faith? Can I talk to you?" Buffy questioned.

"We were just going anyway" Bianca said as she stood up and grabbed Maggie's hand practically dragging her from the room.

"Wait!" Buffy exclaimed causing them both to look back at her "Could you guys stick around? I mean...just come back really soon?"

"Uh...Okay" Maggie nodded slightly confused.

Buffy watched them walk out of the room and heard the front door close before she turned back to Faith "Faith..."

"Yeah?" Faith bit her lip nervously as she sank down onto the couch.

"I don't know how to say this..." Buffy began "I have to...God I have no idea what to say..."

"B..." Faith said in concern as she noticed tears forming in her girlfriend's eyes.

"Okay" Buffy said choking slightly on her tears "I'm just going to come out and say it..."

"Say it?" Faith whispered swallowing against the dread she felt.

"I don't think we should be together" Buffy blurted out "I just...I don't think it's working out for us..."

"What?!" Faith questioned in shock "No, B..." she stood up from the couch and moved towards Buffy. Buffy, too began to move and met her halfway.

"Faith..." she murmured softly "I'm sorry...It just has to be this way..."

"Why?" Faith questioned as tears spilled from her eyes "Why does it have to be like this...I LOVE YOU!"

Buffy wiped the dark haired slayers tears away with her fingertips "I know...I'm sorry..."

"Whatever I did..." Faith said slightly desperately "We can work it out...We'll find a way B!"

"There is no way" Buffy said quietly "And you didn't do anything...I'm only doing this for your own good..."

"But what about last night?" Faith questioned "You said you loved me...That you didn't want to lose me. Are you telling me that everything we had together was a lie?"

"No!" Buffy exclaimed firmly "None of it was a lie!" she smiled tearfully and leaned her forehead against Faith's "It has to be this way..."

Faith shook her head adamantly causing unshed tears to cascade down her cheeks "No...You can't leave me B. YOU CAN'T!"

"I have to" Buffy whispered "I'm sorry Faith..."

"So that's it?" Faith sobbed "It's just...Over?"

Buffy nodded "I'm so sorry" she moved forward quickly and placed a gentle kiss on Faith's trembling lips pulling their bodies impossibly close and burying a hand in the other girls hair. She pulled away from the teary kiss slightly breathless to look at Faith "I'll never stop loving you..." with that she pulled completely away from the other girl and grabbed her Jacket.

"B, you can't do this to me!" Faith sobbed.

Buffy looked back at Faith "I have to..." with that said she turned and walked out of the door. Faith heard the latch on the front door click a moment later.

"BUFFY!" she yelled as she crumbled to the floor in sobs.

---

"Did Buffy tell you what was wrong with her?" Maggie asked as she walked hand in hand with Bianca down the street.

"No" Bianca shook her head "There's definitely something wrong with her though..."

Maggie sighed "I hope she's okay..."

"Mmhm" Bianca hummed in agreement "I wonder why she told us to come back soon..."

"I don't know..." Maggie sighed as they neared the house. She stopped suddenly and turned to Bianca "Binks?"

"Yeah?"

"I think something's going on" Maggie said quietly "Something's obviously wrong with Buffy and Faith...Faith keeps collapsing..."

"What?!" Bianca exclaimed in concern "What do you mean she keeps collapsing?!"

"It happened a few days ago" Maggie explained "And it happened again in the cemetery tonight..."

"Does Buffy know?" Bianca questioned.

"No" Maggie shook her head "Faith told me not to tell her"

"Great" Bianca sighed "What are we supposed to do?"

"There's nothing we can do" Maggie responded "We're just going to have to wait for them to talk..."

"I hope it's not serious..."

"C'mon" Maggie said placing a soft kiss on Bianca's lips "We should get back there..."

They walked to the front door and entered the house only to be greeted with silence.

"It's eerily quiet" Bianca commented in a whisper.

"I know" Maggie nodded as they moved the living room. They stopped short when they spotted Faith sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, tear marks on her cheeks and a vacant expression on her face.

"Faith?" Maggie asked observing the mess "Where's Buffy?"

"She left" Faith said simply.

Maggie turned to Bianca who nodded.

"I'll go after her...I know where she'll be..."

Maggie nodded "Be careful okay?"

"Okay" Bianca leaned forward and kissed Maggie quickly before she turned and walked out of the front door.

Maggie moved over to Faith and kneeled down in front of her "Faith?"

Faith looked towards her but stayed silent.

"What happened?" Maggie questioned as she raised a hand to gently wipe the slayer's tears.

"She broke up with me" Faith choked out "She's gone Maggie...She left me..."

Maggie paled slightly in shock and drew the older girl into her arms.

"She left me..." Faith sobbed against her.

Maggie held the slayer tightly as she sobbed, not knowing what else to do to comfort her. After a few minutes Faith's sobs quietened down into sniffles and Maggie pulled back only slightly to look into her tear filled eyes.

"What did she say?"

"She said that it wasn't working between us" Faith answered "But...she said she still loved me. I don't..."

"Shh" Maggie soothed as she pulled the distraught girl to her feet. She moved her to the couch and sat down beside her pulling her once again into her arms "It's okay..."

"It's not okay!" Faith sobbed her voice muffled slightly by Maggie's shoulder "I don't know how to do this Maggie...I CAN'T do this without her!"

Maggie merely tightened her embrace on the slayer finding herself once again at a loss for what to say.

A matter of minutes later the slayer had cried herself into a fitful sleep in Maggie's tight embrace.

"You better have a damn good reason for this Buffy" Maggie muttered darkly as she moved a strand of dark hair from the slayer's tear stained cheek "Because right now it seems like I'm going to have to kill you..."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews guys. I really appreciate them. Oh and Jds...Sorry about the long wait for a 'History repeats itself' update. I'll try to post an update really soon. **

**This chapter is **_**really**_** angsty but I promise there is a reason for the angst :) Hope you all enjoy this (Once again extra long) chapter. **

Chapter 3 

"Buffy?!" Bianca called knocking softly on the door in front of her. She released a sigh when there was no response and banged harder on the door "BUFFY?!"

"God, Stop yelling Bianca. I'm coming!" Buffy's voice grumbled from behind the door. Bianca reluctantly stopped banging on the door. A moment later it was flung open to reveal Buffy standing in front of her, eyes bloodshot and hair messy.

"What's going on?!" Bianca questioned as she pushed past Buffy into the apartment.

"Come in" Buffy muttered dryly before pushing the door shut.

The younger girl frowned as she glanced around the room, noticing the half empty bottle of Whiskey on the table next to the bed. She glanced back at Buffy in concern "What's going on?"

Buffy shrugged as she moved over to the bed and sank down onto it wearily "Didn't Faith tell you?" she grabbed the bottle and swigged it deeply. She coughed slightly as the liquid burned her throat.

"No" Bianca frowned as she sat next to the blonde slayer "She was a bit of a mess when we got back there"

"Is she okay?" Buffy whispered clutching the bottle tightly to her chest.

"No" Bianca shook her head "What did you say to her?"

"I broke up with her" Buffy answered simply.

"You...you...Uh...What?" The younger girl spluttered in surprise.

"I broke up with her" Buffy explained "I left her"

"Why would you do that?" Bianca asked in confusion "You love her"

Buffy raised the bottle to her lips and gulped the acrid liquid down before glancing back at Bianca "No. No I don't"

"What?!"

Buffy sighed "I don't love her" she physically swallowed to push back her tears.

"You're lying" Bianca observed.

"I'm not!" Buffy exclaimed "I just can't be with her anymore"

"Why?!"

"Because I don't love her" Buffy muttered as she looked away from Bianca to conceal her tears.

"Buffy..." Bianca began quietly.

"What?!" Buffy questioned harshly as she took another drink from the bottle in her hand "Just...Leave me alone Bianca..."

"No" The younger girl replied quietly, resolve settling on her features "I'm not leaving you and you..." she pulled the bottle from Buffy's surprisingly loose grip "Are not drinking this"

"Give it back!" Buffy practically whined.

"Why?" Bianca asked.

"Because I need it!" Buffy muttered holding her hand out.

"Nope" Bianca responded as she stood up and walked into the bathroom where she promptly poured the alcohol down the sink. She walked back out of the bathroom and placed the bottle back on the table "You don't need it...It's not good for you..."

"What are you my mother?!" Buffy scowled as she observed the now empty bottle.

"I'm your friend" Bianca replied simply "And I'm not going to let you do that to yourself...Got it?!"

"Whatever" Buffy muttered darkly as she focused on an area beyond Bianca's shoulder.

Bianca narrowed her eyes at the older girl in bewilderment "What's wrong with you Buff? I've never seen you like this before..."

"I need Faith" Buffy mumbled more to herself than to the other girl.

"I thought you said that you broke up with her" Bianca said in confusion.

"I did" Buffy nodded.

"You're confusing me" Bianca said softly as she moved to sit on the bed next to Buffy "You said you didn't love her..."

"Are you serious?!" Buffy released a bitter laugh "You actually believe that?"

"I don't understand" Bianca remarked "If you love her than why did you break up with her?"

"Because I had to" The blonde slayer answered quietly "Because I'm not good for her...She deserves someone who can be with her without hurting her..."

"Uh...right..." though she still didn't understand, Bianca nodded numbly.

"Okay" Buffy nodded to herself as she stood up and glanced idly around the apartment before returning her gaze to Bianca "Not to seem rude or anything...but could you leave me alone to drink myself into oblivion?"

"Nope" Bianca answered quietly "I'm not leaving you like this"

The blonde crossed her arms in front of her defensively "I'm a slayer...I could just throw you out"

"But you wouldn't do that" Bianca responded knowingly "You wouldn't hurt me"

Buffy huffed in indignation and glanced around "Where the hell is my alcohol?!"

"I threw it out...Remember?" Bianca asked as she followed Buffy into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I know. But I should have...DAMN IT!" Buffy slammed a cupboard door shut with such ferocity that one of the hinges snapped "Now I'm going to have to go out and get some more...This is great. This is fucking GREAT!"

Bianca stepped back and watched Buffy pace in front of her as she mumbled to herself "Buffy?"

"Hmmn?" Buffy hummed glancing up at her.

"Are you okay?" Bianca questioned "You're kind of scaring me..."

Buffy froze at Bianca's words.

"_Buffy..." Faith lifted a hand to Buffy's cheek and gently wiped her tears away "You're really scaring me..."_

"I'm scaring myself" she said softly before she moved forward and grabbed her jacket "I'm just going to go and get some more alcohol and...I'll be fine..."

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Bianca protested as she followed Buffy to the front door.

"None of this is a good idea..." Buffy sighed before looking up at Bianca "You should go home Bianca..."

"No. I'm not leaving you"

"Why?!" Buffy demanded to know "I'm the person who started all of this crap so why the hell are you refusing to leave?!"

"Didn't I already answer that?" Bianca shrugged.

Buffy sighed heavily "I don't deserve your sympathy Bianca. You should just leave..."

"I'm not just going to leave you when you're hurting" Bianca took a step forward towards the other girl.

"I'm hurting Faith!" Buffy snapped "I'm _hurting _her!"

"Why?" Bianca questioned softly.

"Because I have to" Buffy whispered as tears formed in her eyes "Because she's better off without me. I'm only going to end up hurting her worse later if I stay with her now"

"How do you know that?!" Bianca asked in confusion.

"I don't. But _she _does."

Bianca self consciously glanced over her shoulder only to see nothing "Who? Faith?"

"No" Buffy shook her head causing built up tears to stream from her eyes "Not Faith. It doesn't matter Bianca..." Buffy's expression turned pensive "It's quite ironic...Faith always thought she was the '_dark slayer'_ but it turns out I'm the evil one"

"I don't understand why you're doing this" Bianca frowned perplexedly "And I have no idea what you're talking about..."

"Just leave me alone okay?" Buffy whispered hoarsely as she wiped roughly at her tears but to no avail as they continued to track down her cheeks "I deserve to be alone ..."

"I'm staying with you" Bianca stated adamantly as she moved forward and reached out for the silently sobbing blonde.

Buffy recoiled from Bianca's touch "Stop it. I don't..."

"I'm not leaving you" Bianca stressed as she pulled the reluctant girl into her embrace.

"Let go Bianca" Buffy whispered weakly.

"I'm not letting go" Bianca responded softly, holding the tense blonde close to her. She felt a wave of relief when she relaxed after a matter of seconds.

Buffy released a quiet sob a moment before she finally lifted her arms and clung onto Bianca tightly.

"I'm not letting go" Bianca repeated in a hushed voice.

---

Maggie exhaled deeply as she observed Faith sleeping restlessly on the couch. She jumped slightly as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced briefly at the screen before answering it.

"Binks?" she questioned in concern "Are you okay?"

"Yeah" Bianca responded "I'm fine. How's Faith?"

"Not good" Maggie said softly "She's really upset. What about Buffy?"

"Buffy..." Bianca muttered "Buffy's acting a bit crazy"

"Crazy? What do you mean?"

"She's drinking" Bianca explained quietly "She said something about being evil. From what I can gather Buffy broke up with Faith because she thinks that Faith will only get hurt if they stay together...I don't really understand it..."

"Neither do I..." Maggie replied thoughtfully.

"I think I should stay here tonight" Bianca spoke up again "Buffy isn't very stable right now...I don't know what she'll do..."

"Okay" Maggie sighed "That's probably a good idea..." she bit her lip nervously "Bianca?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll miss you tonight" Maggie said quietly.

"I'll miss you too" Bianca responded sincerely "I should go. See you later Mags. I love you"

"I love you too" Maggie responded before hanging up and allowing the phone to drop to her side. She glanced over at the couch to see Faith stirring in her sleep. A moment later the slayer opened her eyes and glanced around the room, obviously disorientated.

"Hey" Maggie said softly as she moved to sit next to the other girl "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you"

"It's okay" Faith whispered.

"Are you okay?" Maggie questioned cautiously as she reached out and placed a hand on the slayer's arm.

Faith chose to ignore the question and instead asked "Has Buffy called?"

"No" Maggie answered quietly "But Bianca says that she's acting a bit crazy right now..."

"Crazy?" Faith looked up at Maggie fear clear in her eyes.

"Drinking" Maggie explained "And she was saying something about hurting you..."

Faith shrugged allowing her gaze to fall back to the ground "Oh"

"Faith..." Maggie began unsurely.

"What?" Faith questioned weakly.

"I don't know" Maggie sighed "I don't know what to say to make you feel better..."

"There isn't anything to say..." Faith stood up and moved over to a drawer "I should have expected this really...I _did _expect this..." she pulled open the drawer and pulled out a packet of cigarettes.

"I didn't know you smoked" Maggie said softly as Faith raised the cigarette to her lips.

"I used to" Faith answered as she pulled out a lighter "Buffy said it was unhealthy so I quit..." she released a sigh and allowed the cigarette to drop from her hands onto the floor "Damn it..."

"Fai..." Maggie stood up and walked over to the other girl.

"I don't wanna be so damn pathetic" Faith whimpered refusing to look at Maggie.

"What?!" Maggie gasped in surprise as she grabbed Faith's hand and turned her almost roughly "No! You're not being pathetic Faith. You're just upset..."

Faith sniffled audibly "Why did she leave me?"

"I don't know" Maggie whispered as she led Faith back to the couch.

"I don't know what I did" Faith admitted tearfully "Or...or what I said..."

"Hey" Maggie tightened her grip on Faith's hand "I'm sure you didn't do or say anything. Don't blame yourself..."

"So I guess it's a bit late to say I told you so?" Faith questioned quietly.

"What do you mean?" Maggie frowned.

"I told you that Buffy would never want somebody like me...That she could never _love _me..."

"She does love you!" Maggie stated firmly "You know that she loves you!"

"Obviously not..." Faith sighed and her shoulders dropped in defeat "I thought that she loved me. She _said_ that she loved me but if she did she wouldn't have left me"

"But..."

"Maggie?" Faith interrupted harshly.

"Yeah?"

"You love Bianca, right?"

"Of course I do" Maggie answered instantly.

"Okay" Faith nodded blinking back tears "Would you _ever _even _consider_ leaving her of your own free will?"

Maggie bit her lip in contemplation "Well...No but I..."

"No buts" Faith murmured finally allowing her tears to fall freely "I obviously just wasn't enough for her..."

Maggie immediately pulled the older girl into her arms pushing back her own tears at the girls' pain.

"Maybe I was trying too hard" Faith sobbed her voice slightly muffled by Maggie's shoulder.

Maggie pulled back to look at her "Faith..."

"I need to calm down" Faith stated taking a deep breath "I need to...I don't even know..." she wiped roughly at her tear stained cheeks.

Maggie stayed silent unsure of what to say.

"Maybe I'm just meant to be alone..." Faith observed quietly "Everybody ends up leaving me eventually so..."

"No" Maggie shook her head firmly "I'm not leaving you. And I know that Bianca won't"

Faith offered Maggie a shaky smile "Y'know...I would usually just go out and get ridiculously drunk. Try to lose myself with...somebody else maybe...But she changed me. Sometimes I kind of wish she hadn't bothered..."

"C'mon Faith don't say that. You..."

"I don't know what to do" Faith interrupted "I've never...Felt like this before..."

"I'm sorry" Maggie said softly "I wish I could do something..."

"You are doing something" Faith argued softly "I just...Don't know what to do right now..."

"You should get some sleep" Maggie remarked quietly as she brushed a piece of dark hair from Fait's tear stained cheek.

"I can't" the older shook her head unwaveringly "I don't think I'll be able to sleep especially not in that room..."

"Fine" Maggie nodded steadfastly "Then we'll stay down here and watch cheesy movies. Because there is no way I'm leaving you alone for even a second"

"Thanks" Faith whispered weakly "I really don't want to be alone right now."

"Hey, what are friends for right?" Maggie shrugged slinging an arm across Faith's shoulders.

---

"HUH?!" Maggie jerked from her sleep as the front door was shut loudly. She glanced around in disorientation before remembering she had slept on the couch last night. She had made Faith go to bed when the slayer couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. She stood up slowly and swiped blearily at her eyes. A moment later Bianca walked into the room with Buffy moving slowly behind her.

"Binks" Maggie smiled softly at the sight of her girlfriend. She turned her attention towards Buffy who was noticeably drained. Her eyes were bloodshot and seemed to have lost all life "Buffy..." she moved forward quickly and grabbed the blonde girl in a huge hug. She released her after a moment and pulled away to look at her "Are you going to tell us what the hell is going on now?"

"No" Buffy shook her head "I need to see Faith and then..." she trailed off and walked away leaving Maggie gazing after her in confusion. She walked numbly up the stairs towards the door of the bedroom she shared with Faith which she pushed open as quietly as possible. She slipped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Faith..." she whispered as she moved over to the bed and sat down on the end of it. She bit her lip to hold back tears as she observed her girlfriend...or ex girlfriend who was sleeping seemingly peacefully.

"I can't believe I have to do this..." she said softly. She reached out and gently pushed a strand of soft dark hair away from the other girls face "I'm so sorry..." she stilled her hand when Faith began to stir slightly.

"B?" Faith murmured as she blinked open her eyes.

"Hey" Buffy said in a hushed voice.

Faith sat up quickly and threw her arms around the slightly surprised blonde in an embrace only a slayer could withstand.

"Are you really here?" she mumbled quietly her voice muffled by Buffy's shoulder.

"Yeah" Buffy nodded forcing herself to pull away "I can't stay for long though...I have to go..."

"You're really doing this than?" Faith asked her expression crumbling in sadness "You're really breaking up with me?"

"I have to" Buffy responded gently as she raised a hand to Faith's cheek "I can't stay with you. If I do..."

"Can I ask you something?" Faith questioned tearfully as she looked up into Buffy's eyes.

"Of course" the blonde nodded almost recoiling at the pain in Faith's eyes "You can ask me anything"

"Did you ever really love me?"

"What?!" Buffy gasped in shock "Of course I loved you. I still love you. I've never loved anybody like I love you!"

"I don't understand" Faith said weakly "If you love me than why are you leaving me?"

"Because I have to!" Buffy persisted "I'm not good for you Faith. I just can't be with you. I want to be...But I can't"

"I still don't understand" Faith muttered softly "Why...Why can't you?"

"It's complicated" Buffy smiled tearfully at the younger girl "But I just have to do this...To keep you safe..."

"I don't..."

Buffy placed a finger on Faith's lips to stop her from talking "I know you don't understand right now. And...Hopefully you'll never have to understand. But it doesn't matter...At least with me out of the way you'll be safe..."

"Wh..." Faith sniffed back tears "What do you mean? Out of the way?"

"I'm leaving soon" Buffy explained softly "Not right away but...soon..."

"When will I see you again?" Faith asked as tears fell from her eyes.

"I don't know if you will" Buffy shrugged as she wiped Faith's tears away tenderly ignoring her own which continued to cascade down her cheeks "It depends on whether I can fix this or not...I just don't know..."

Faith released a quiet sob "But I love you!"

"I know" Buffy whispered "I love you too...God I love you so much but...I have to go"

"I don't want you to go..."

"I never meant to hurt you..." Buffy said in a hushed voice "Stay safe okay? And look after Maggie, Bianca and Miranda for me..."

"Buffy..." Faith whimpered.

"I have to go" Buffy hesitated for a moment before she leaned forward and kissed Faith softly, allowing her lips to linger for a moment "I love you so Much Faithy..."

With that said she pulled away from the dark haired slayer and walked out of the door, trying to ignore the soft sobs from behind her.

---

Maggie watched Buffy ascend the stairs before she turned to Bianca and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I missed you" she whispered.

"I missed you too" Bianca responded before she pulled away and kissed Maggie firmly. She tugged Maggie over to the couch and sunk down on it pulling the older girl after her. They sat in silence for a while before Maggie finally spoke up.

"I can't believe this is happening..."

"I know" Bianca sighed "It sounds kind of naive but I didn't think anything would separate Buffy and Faith. They've just always seemed so...Unbreakable...I don't know..."

"Uh-huh" Maggie nodded against Bianca's shoulder "Did Buffy tell you anything last night?"

"No" Bianca responded "She didn't say anything except that she 'has to do this'" she paused for a moment before looking up at Maggie "She was so out of control last night Maggie...I've never seen her like that before..."

Maggie remained silent but tightened her grip on her girlfriend.

"How's Faith?" Bianca questioned in concern "I haven't seen her since last night..."

"She's a mess" Maggie replied "She just doesn't know what to do and...She thinks she did something to make Buffy break up with her..."

"Do you think that they'll sort it out up there?" Bianca asked as she pulled Maggie's hand to her lips and placed a small kiss on her knuckles.

"I hope so...For both their sakes..."

Bianca exhaled deeply but remained silent.

"I can't even imagine how Faith must be feeling..." Maggie spoke thoughtfully "If you ever left me I don't know what I would do..."

Bianca nodded slowly "I know..."

Maggie pulled Bianca closer to her and kissed her softly "I really did miss you last night..."

"Yeah?" Bianca smiled "I really did miss you too"

A soft thud from the stairs caused them to look up to see Buffy walking down them, with a backpack on.

"Buffy?" Bianca questioned nervously as both she and Maggie stood up.

Buffy glanced up at them "Hey..."

"What are you doing?" Maggie asked as she moved around the couch so she was facing Buffy. Bianca followed her a moment later.

"I..." Buffy trailed off as if unable to speak.

"You broke up with her?!" Maggie spoke anger clear in her tone "Do you have any idea what you're doing to her Buffy?!"

"I have to..." Buffy muttered weakly.

"NO!" Maggie practically yelled "You don't _have_ to do anything you don't want to do! You...You have no idea what you're doing...Faith...She's _broken!" _

"Then Fix her!" Buffy stated instantly as her eyes brightened with tears "Because I can't do it Maggie! I can't fucking do it!"

"Why?!" Maggie demanded "You love her!" she felt Bianca slip a hand into hers and clutched it tightly trying to calm herself.

"Sometimes it's just not enough..." Buffy murmured softly as tears fell from her eyes.

"Buffy..." Bianca said softly "You don't have to do this"

"I do!" the blonde exclaimed "I do have to do this"

"This is going to kill her" Maggie muttered.

"No" Buffy shook her head and released a bitter laugh "You don't get it Maggie...If I stay _I'm _going to kill her"

"What do you mean?!" Bianca asked frustration colouring her tone.

"It doesn't matter" Buffy stated "What matters now is that I have to go!"

"Go?" Maggie questioned "Go where?!"

"I don't know" Buffy said softly "It doesn't matter right now...All that matters is that I'm gone and she's safe. I'm staying in the city but I'm going to move further...Maybe even out of the country...The further away the better..."

"Why are you doing this?" Bianca asked softly "I don't understand..."

Buffy shook her head "It doesn't matter...I just have to leave..."

"But we need you here!" Maggie exclaimed her own eyes becoming glossy with unshed tears "Faith needs you here!"

"Faith needs me as far away as possible" Buffy corrected as tears spilled from her eyes.

"When will you be back?" Maggie asked weakly.

"I don't know if I will be" Buffy shrugged.

"So this is it?" Bianca questioned, slightly tearful "This is just goodbye? For good?!"

"Maybe" Buffy nodded "It has to be..."

"You guys will be fine" Buffy reassured them tearfully as she moved forward and pulled them into a tight embrace. All three girls held on for a long moment before Buffy pulled away.

"Okay..." Buffy whispered as she stepped back and wiped her tears away roughly "Look after yourselves and Miranda okay?" she gave them a tearful brave smile "And could you...could you take care of Faith for me? Make sure she knows that I still love her? That...That I always will and none of this was her own fault..." the blonde choked on her tears close to sobbing.

Bianca and Maggie nodded numbly.

"I have to go..." Buffy said softly "I love you guys"

With that she turned and walked away pulling the front door shut behind her.

Bianca and Maggie glanced at each other tearfully.

"I can't believe that just happened..." Maggie said softly.

Bianca nodded in agreement "I...I can't believe she's just...gone..."

Maggie sniffled slightly and wiped her eyes "I don't know what to do..."

Bianca pulled her hand from Maggie's "I have to go see Faith...I have to..."

Maggie nodded and watched Bianca practically sprint upstairs. She lowered herself to the ground as she found she was unable to stand and buried her face in her hands unable to watch as their lives crumbled in front of their eyes.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys I'm sorry for the late update but I really do appreciate all of your reviews so thank you!**

**I think I got a lil bit carried away with the BAM love scene...Okay not really a **_**love**_** scene since I don't write actual love scenes as you may have noticed (I've only attempted to write one once) but more like the beginning of a love scene...I don't know why but it seems I'm slowly inching towards a BAM love scene...Uh...Anyway hope you all enjoy the chapter :) **

Chapter 4

"Uh...Faith?" Maggie questioned hesitantly as she observed the five vampires' which surrounded the dark haired slayer.

"Yeah, Mags?" Faith responded carelessly, her stance loosening even further as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You appear to be surrounded" Maggie observed as she stepped forward.

"Seems like it" Faith nodded. She glanced over at Maggie "Stay there"

"What? N..."

"Just do it Maggie!" Faith sighed irritably. She stretched her arms out and smirked at the vampires "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"I don't think this is a good idea Fa..." Maggie trailed off as all of the vampires rushed towards the slayer at once "FAITH!"

Faith ducked and rolled at the last second causing the vampires to bump into each other. She stood up and smirked at them "Ha!" she leapt forward and quickly staked four in a row before relaxing slightly "Damn, I'm good!" she watched the last vampire stand up and threw her stake over her shoulder. "Oops" she shrugged stepping forward so she was standing merely inches from the vampire "Seems I'm defenceless" when she made no move the vampire struck her hard across the face causing her to wince slightly. He pushed her backwards and hit her again causing her head to swing to the left. She smirked at him and pushed him roughly. He flew across the graveyard and slammed into a headstone, the force causing him to turn to dust.

The slayer raised a hand to her bleeding chin and winced slightly before she turned back to Maggie "You look like somebody just kicked your puppy"

Maggie shook her head numbly "Why did you do that?"

Faith shrugged as she moved over to Maggie "I don't know" when Maggie's expression still remained concerned Faith continued "C'mon, Mags you didn't seriously think I would die and leave you alone did you?"

"You could have been hurt..." Maggie observed quietly as she tugged Faith forward to check the cut on her face.

Faith instantly recoiled from her touch but winced slightly at Maggie's wounded expression "We have to go..."

"Go where?" Maggie questioned in confusion as she followed the slayer from the cemetery.

"Anywhere" Faith shrugged "I was planning on a sleazy club though..."

"I don't think that's a very good idea" Maggie offered hesitantly.

Faith sighed and rolled her eyes "You don't think _anything's _a good idea"

"That's not fair!" Maggie countered as she stopped and grabbed Faith's hand causing her too to jerk to a halt "I'm just worried about you!"

"Yeah, Whatever" Faith grumbled "Look Maggie just go home if you want okay? Or follow me...I really don't care!"

Maggie watched speechlessly as Faith walked away from her.

---

Maggie leaned against the bar and shut her eyes briefly. Her hands rose to her temples as she felt the beginning of a headache.

"Can I get you anything?"

Maggie looked up quickly to see the blonde bartender gazing at her.

"Uh...Orange Juice?" she asked hesitantly. She had a feeling that she would have to be sober at the end of the night.

The woman looked slightly puzzled but grabbed a glass and started to pull Maggie's drink anyway. Maggie released a sigh and noticed the woman's name tag said 'Stacey'.

"Long day?" Stacey questioned as she placed the drink in front of Maggie.

"Long week" Maggie smiled weakly as she paid for the drink and picked it up "Thanks" with that she glanced down the bar to see Faith staring miserably into her drink. She moved slowly over to her and sat on the bar stool next to her.

"I'm not intere..." Faith spoke before she glanced at Maggie "Maggie...You're back..."

Of course I'm back" Maggie smiled weakly "Don't seem so surprised"

Faith sighed softly "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I'm just a bit of a mess right now..."

Maggie nodded understandingly as she slid onto the seat next to Faith "So you were saying you're not interested?"

"Yeah" Faith laughed softly "It's kind of pathetic really..." she motioned subtly to her left "See the tall blonde?"

"Yeah..." Maggie answered.

Faith motioned across the bar "Medium height Latina? Chocolate brown eyes? Incredibly Hot?"

"Uh-huh" Maggie nodded.

"Blonde barmaid...I think her name was Sarah or Stacey" Faith continued, counting on her hand "A guy called James, A girl called Alex and another girl called uh...Jessie...They were all outwardly hitting on me until I told them to back off"

"Wow" Maggie muttered "That's kinda...Overwhelming. But completely understandable"

"That's what's so pathetic about it" Faith sighed "I was dumped yet I still can't think about being with anyone else..." she held up her drink "You know what this is?"

Maggie shook her head numbly.

"Pepsi!" Faith exclaimed incredulously "I'm in a bar drinking freaking PEPSI!"

"Isn't that good though?" Maggie questioned hesitantly "That you're not a mess?"

"I am a mess" The dark haired slayer countered quietly "You just can't see it right now"

"It's only been a week" Maggie shifted slightly closer to the older girl and placed a hand comfortingly on her back "Things will get better"

"But that's the thing..." Faith shook her head slowly "I don't want things to get better Mags. I want her back! I don't know why but I can't bring myself to be mad at her even though she's hurting me...its pathetic..."

"I wish I could say something to make you feel better" Maggie said sincerely.

"I don't think anything could make me feel better right now" Faith muttered sadly. She smiled weakly at Maggie "Just being here with you helps...Honestly" she turned back towards the bartender and motioned her over with a tilt of her head.

"Hey Faith" Stacey said flirtatiously "What can I get for you?"

"Two Pepsi's would be great" Faith smiled winningly.

"Coming right up" Stacey grabbed two glasses and began pouring their drinks "I didn't know you two knew each other...Girlfriend?"

"No" Faith smiled as Maggie choked on her drink. She reached over to pat the other girl on the back but kept her eyes on Stacey "Maggie's just my friend. My best friend actually"

"Well in that case..." Stacey grinned as she placed the drinks in front of Maggie and Faith "It was nice meeting you Maggie. And I'm sorry for almost killing you with that drink"

"Likewise" Maggie croaked, raising a hand to her sore throat "And It's completely fine" she watched Stacey walk away before she turned to Faith and scowled "What are you laughing at?"

"Sorry" Faith gasped for air through her laughing "But that was just too funny...You just...with the..."

"Yeah, Whatever" Maggie grumbled "Laugh it up"

Faith finally stopped laughing at her friend and sobered up slightly "Hey you're distracting me from my depression"

"Good" Maggie grinned "That is my job as your best friend, isn't it?"

Faith shrugged listlessly "Maybe..." she took a deep breath and quickly tried to change the subject "Where's Bianca tonight, anyway?"

"At home" Maggie's expression instantly lit up at the sound of Bianca's name "She wasn't feeling very well so she decided to stay in tonight"

"Is she okay?" Faith questioned in concern as she turned her attention back to her drink.

"She says she's fine" Maggie shrugged "Just a bit run down or something"

"Oh...So are you two okay than?"

"Are you sure you want me to talk about that?" Maggie asked hesitantly "I mean with..."

"its fine" Faith interrupted her "It'll distract me"

"We're great" Maggie said softly "Really great actually"

"I'm happy for you gu..." Faith's gaze had returned to Maggie's but Maggie frowned when Faith trailed off and seemed to focus somewhere behind her.

"Fai?" she questioned softly. No answer was forthcoming from the other girl and Maggie waved a hand in front of her face "Faith?!" There was once again no response and the younger girl grew more worried at the tears which had formed in the slayer's eyes. She moved forward slightly so that she balanced on the very edge of her seat and clutched Faith's hand in her own "Faith? Talk to me...you're kinda scaring me..." when she was still ignored Maggie looked over her shoulder self-consciously and almost fell off her seat at what she saw.

"Buffy..." she murmured as her eyes settled on the blonde who was kissing a dark haired girl across the room. She quickly turned her attention back to Faith whose eyes were now downcast.

"Faith..."

"I have to get out of here" Faith muttered shakily before she fled quickly from the room.

"Shit..." Maggie felt anger flare in her gut as she glanced back towards Buffy but ignored it and rushed after Faith instead.

"FAITH!" she yelled as she burst out of the back door after the other girl "FAITH, WAIT!" she increased her speed until she had caught up with the slayer and grabbed her arm causing her to stop.

"Fai?" she murmured when Faith refused to look at her "Come on...Look at me? Please?"

Faith sniffled slightly before she lifted her eyes tearful eyes to look into Maggie's "How could she do that to me Maggie? She's..."

"I know" Maggie replied as she wiped a stray tear from Faith's cheek "I know" she moved forward and wrapped the slayer up in a warm embrace "It's okay...It's going to be okay"

"It's not okay!" Faith shook her head vigorously as she pulled away from Maggie "You saw her in there Maggie. She was kissing somebody else..." she slumped to the ground and leaned against the wall leaving Maggie gazing down at her worriedly "I guess I'm not that hard to move on from"

"But she said she loves you!" Maggie protested, kneeling down in front of her.

"Did that look like she loves me?" Faith laughed tearfully "Because It didn't from where I was standing!"

"I..." Maggie trailed off as Faith jumped to her feet and began pacing in front of her. She too stood up and watched the other girl anxiously "Faith..."

"Why was she with me?!" Faith questioned angrily more to herself than Maggie "If she didn't really love me than why the hell did she say she did?!" she punched furiously at a pile of crates in front of her and swore when her hand went straight through the wood.

"Faith..." Maggie sighed as Faith pulled her hand out of the crate "You're going to hurt yourself!"

"I don't care!" Faith's shoulders slumped in defeat as she cradled her bleeding Right hand with her left "Come on...We should go home or Bianca will be getting worried "

Maggie bit her lip in worry "But..."

"Maggie" Faith moved forward and clutched her arm tightly "If we don't get out of here right now I'm going to do something stupid like break down...We have to go, okay? I can't do this here"

"Okay" Maggie whispered her heart clenching painfully at the tears visible in Faith's eyes and audible in her speech. She pulled her arm from the slayer's grip and took her hand instead "Come on"

---

When they entered the house Faith instantly pulled her hand from Maggie's and rushed up the stairs.

"What's wrong with Faith?" Bianca questioned from where she leaned against the doorway. Maggie moved quickly towards her and wrapped her arms around her tightly.

"Hey" Bianca was slightly startled at the tightness of her girlfriend's grip and even more shocked at the tears which had began to soak through her shirt "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Maggie pulled back slightly and wiped at her teary eyes "Everything..."

"Come on" Bianca pulled Maggie over to the couch and set her down gently before taking a seat next to her "What is it?"

"This is just..." Maggie sniffled slightly and shuffled closer to Bianca on the couch "Such a mess"

Bianca wrapped her arms around the older girl and dropped a kiss on her head "I know"

"She kissed somebody else" Maggie said suddenly her voice slightly muffled by Bianca's shoulder.

"Who?" Bianca questioned in confusion "Faith? Is that why she's so upset?"

"Not Faith" Maggie answered sadly "Buffy"

"I don't understand" Bianca frowned "We don't know where Buffy is..."

Maggie shifted slightly to look up at Bianca "We were in a club. Buffy was there kissing another girl"

"Oh..." Bianca bit her lip in thought "Why?"

"I don't know!" Maggie exclaimed as she pulled away from Bianca and stood up "She says she loves her...That she doesn't want to hurt her and then...She kisses somebody else, right in front of her!"

"Did she know Faith was there?" Bianca asked calmly.

"What?!" Maggie exclaimed "No! But...That's not the point! The point is she did it. She _cheated _on her! Why are you being so calm about this?!"

"Technically not" Bianca argued quietly "It would only be cheating if they were together and they actually weren't at that point"

"What...Bianca!" Maggie practically yelled "Are you seriously fucking defending her?!"

"No!" Bianca said just as loudly "I'm not! I was just pointing out a fact!"

"Well it seemed like you were!" Maggie argued "In fact it seems like you're taking her side which I definitely DO NOT understand! How can you do that when Faith is in pieces? And it's Buffy's fault?!"

"Yeah?!" Bianca yelled "Well it seems to me like I'm the only person _not_ taking sides!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Maggie questioned incredulously "I'm not taking anybody's side in this!"

"Why are you yelling at me?!" Bianca shouted in annoyance.

"I...I don't know" Maggie answered softly as her shoulder slumped in defeat "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to yell at you..." she sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry too" Bianca moved slightly closer to Maggie and placed a hand on her back "I didn't mean for it to sound like I'm taking Buffy's side. That couldn't be farther from the truth...I'm just trying to understand..."

"This is all so messed up" Maggie commented tearfully without looking up at Bianca "Why the hell did this have to happen?"

"I don't know" Bianca sighed as she tentatively took Maggie's hand in her own.

Maggie squeezed it tightly and looked up at her "I don't want to argue with you Bianca...But I'm just really pissed off at Buffy right now...I don't understand how she could do that to someone she supposedly loves"

"I know" Bianca nodded thoughtfully "I don't get it either"

"She was so crushed" Maggie said softly "We were standing in an alley and she hit some crates...hurt her hand...She was completely devastated Bianca. She even said we had to leave because she felt like she was going to break down and she didn't want to put me in any danger and..."

"Hey" Bianca pressed a finger to Maggie's lips "Just slow down okay Mags?"

"I don't understand how anybody could do that. Especially to her..."

"I know" Bianca whispered "I don't understand it either..."

"I really am sorry for shouting at you" Maggie said quietly as she cupped Bianca's cheek in her hand "I was just really angry...It wasn't you"

"I know" Bianca whispered as she kissed Maggie's palm tenderly "It's okay"

"I missed you tonight" Maggie said quietly shuffling slightly closer to Bianca.

"I missed you too" Bianca smiled softly before she leaned forward and kissed Maggie softly. After a moment she pulled away slightly but remained mere centimetres from Maggie's lips.

"Hmmmn?" Maggie hummed without opening her eyes.

"I really did miss you"

"Yeah?" Maggie grinned as she pulled back slightly and opened her eyes to look at Bianca "I really did miss you too...So don't stop kissing me" she pulled the other girl back towards her into a passionate kiss. Bianca responded by allowing her hand to drift from Maggie's arm to the back of her neck pulling her impossibly closer. She pressed gently backwards until Maggie lay back on the couch pulling her on top of her. They pulled away for air for a moment and gazed at each other while breathing heavily.

"Binks..." Maggie said softly.

"Uh-huh?" Bianca muttered as she began to kiss her way down Maggie's jaw to her neck.

"Nothing" Maggie managed to gasp out as she tangled her hand in Bianca's dark tresses "Never mind"

"Thought so" Bianca grinned as she kissed her way back up to Maggie's lips. She pulled away after a moment "Maggie?"

"Uh-huh?" Maggie asked focusing solely on undoing the buttons of Bianca's shirt.

"We can't do this here"

"Why not?" Maggie smiled finally pushing Bianca's shirt from her shoulders.

"We're on the c..." Bianca released a squeak of surprise when Maggie pulled her back down and kissed her passionately. She gathered all of her self control and pulled back slightly much to Maggie's dismay "Mags..."

"Bianca..." Maggie gasped out "I love you but you really can be too sensible sometimes"

"I am not!"

"Prove it" Maggie smirked seductively "Come on Binks...Live a little!"

Bianca rolled her eyes at her girlfriend but leaned down and kissed her anyway. She pulled back by a fraction of a second.

"We're wearing entirely too many clothes" she whispered in Maggie's ear. Maggie shivered slightly and pulled Bianca back down against her.

"Then take 'em off" She grinned before capturing Bianca's lips with her own. Bianca's sat up pulling Maggie with her and pushed her jacket from her shoulders. She pulled away only long enough to pull the older girls' shirt from her head and throw it across the room before she moved forward and placed a fervent kiss on Maggie's lips. Maggie moaned softly and ran her hands down Bianca's back pulling her even closer. A loud thump from upstairs caused them to pull away.

"What was that?!" Bianca panted.

"Don't know" Maggie pulled Bianca back into the kiss but the bang sounded once again causing her pull back. She groaned and leaned her head against Bianca's chest. When another loud bang sounded she pulled back and looked at Bianca.

"I should check it out..." she said quietly. Bianca nodded and Maggie stood up and began looking for her shirt. She found it and returned to Bianca's side.

"Hey" she said quietly as she pressed a soft kiss to Bianca's lips "We've still got tonight" she smiled at the natural brunette and left the room, pulling her shirt on at the same time.

Bianca groaned in frustration and lay back on the couch "Tonight..."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm really sorry that this chapter is late again (Life got a bit hectic) but this chapter's extra long :) Thank you so much to those who reviewed. Hope you like the chapter...**

**Oh and for those of you who read H.R.I I'll try to update really soon...Like tomorrow...**

Chapter 5

"How is she?" Bianca asked quietly as Maggie sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh.

"I don't know" Maggie shrugged "She won't talk to me...I hate it when she shuts me out" she leaned forward slightly and braced her head in her hands, threading her fingers through her hair.

Bianca shuffled forward slightly and wrapped her arms around Maggie from behind "I'm sure she just needs some time...You'll get through to her eventually"

"How can you be so sure?" Maggie sighed, leaning back slightly into Bianca's embrace.

"I know you" Bianca pressed a soft kiss to Maggie's cheek "And I know that you won't give up"

"Have I mentioned that this is messed up?" Maggie turned slightly to face Bianca, offering her a small smile.

"A few times" The younger girl nodded.

Maggie gazed at Bianca in contemplation for a moment before speaking hesitantly "Are we okay? I mean I know I've been kind of distant lately and I'm really sorry about that bu..."

Bianca leaned forward and cut her off with a short kiss "We're fine"

"Oh...Okay" The dyed brunette grinned "That's...good because I don..." she was once again interrupted when Bianca leaned forward and kissed her.

"Are you going to do that everytime? Because that kind of interruption I could get use..."

"I don't think you're getting it" Bianca smiled brightly "You're supposed to be shutting up and kissing me..."

Maggie laughed out loud but pulled Bianca close to her "Demanding...I like that" she leaned forward, closing the gap that separated them and kissed Bianca passionately. She threaded her hands through Bianca's dark hair pulling her impossibly close causing the younger girl to smile into the kiss and pull back by a fraction of an inch.

"Y'know we have a bed..." she murmured as Maggie's hands strayed to the buttons of her shirt "I don't understand your obsession with this couch...It's kind of weird"

Maggie giggled quietly "Binks?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Shhh" Maggie moved forward again and captured the other girls' lips with her own. She pulled away after a moment and frowned thoughtfully.

Bianca raised an eyebrow at her "What? It looks like you're thinking about something"

"This is an uncomfortable position" Maggie shifted slightly and pushed Bianca gently against the back of the couch before straddling her and wrapping her arms loosely around her neck. She grinned cheekily down at the other girl "Much better"

"Yeah?" Bianca smiled as her hands moved automatically to Maggie's waist "Now where were we?"

"I thought you had a problem with the couch...But I believe we were about...here" she moved forward and kissed Bianca softly. She smiled internally when Bianca deepened the kiss and pulled her closer. Maggie pulled back slightly to smile down at her girlfriend "I love it when I'm taller than you"

"Nice interruption Mags" Bianca rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile adoringly at the other girl.

"Sorry" Maggie shrugged helplessly. She shifted closer to Bianca and kissed her fervently. Bianca pulled Maggie closer to her and attempted to undo the buttons of her shirt. They continued to kiss obliviously until a voice interrupted them.

"Hey guys I'm going out" Faith called as she grabbed her jacket and walked past the living room not even bothering to glance at them. She pulled the front door open and walked out.

"You should..." Bianca said breathlessly as she pulled away.

"I know" Maggie sighed. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Bianca's lips "Sorry Binks"

"It's not problem" Bianca smiled understandingly "Now go...But be careful."

"Always" Maggie smiled as she stood up and moved towards the door "I love you!"

"I love you too" Bianca called out "But you might want to..." she sighed when the door slammed shut "Button your shirt up"

---

"Faith!" Maggie yelled as she rushed after the slayer "Wait up!"

Faith stopped walking and waited until Maggie caught up before she began to move again.

"Where are we going?" Maggie questioned quietly glancing nervously at the darkness around them.

"Patrol" Faith answered "Sort of...But I'm kind of looking for somebody"

"Oh"

Faith glanced at Maggie and grinned teasingly "Seems like I interrupted something"

Maggie glanced down and herself and blushed profusely when she noticed her shirt was half undone "Crap..." she quickly buttoned her shirt up.

"Here" Faith shrugged off her jacket and handed it to the other girl "You'll freeze to death if you only wear that"

"Thanks" Maggie smiled as she pulled on the leather Jacket.

"No problem" Faith shrugged. Her expression turned serious after a moment "I'm sorry if I interrupted you guys. It's bad enough that I screw up my own relationship without messing up yours too"

"It's fine...And you didn't screw up your relationship. That wasn't your fault"

Faith shrugged silently and they continued walking. Maggie was slightly startled when Faith suddenly ground to a halt "What..."

"Shhh" the slayer murmured holding up a hand "That's the guy I'm looking for"

"Why?"

"He's a vamp. Killing people. The usual" she moved forward when she noticed him get into a van "That's weird..." she grabbed Maggie's hand quickly and pulled her towards an SUV "Get in"

"This isn't your car" Maggie stated the obvious.

Faith sighed and smashed the window quickly thankful that the car didn't have an alarm. She opened the door and leaned across to open the other one. She nodded at Maggie "Get in" she moved quickly around to the driver's side and got in the car.

"This is stealing!" Maggie stated firmly as she got into the car next to Faith "We shouldn't be doing this..." she watched as Faith pulled the ignition box off with her bare hands and very little effort "Faith..."

"I'll bring it back okay?" Faith sighed as she pulled the wires out and began tying them together "And I'll leave some money to pay for repairs..." she smiled triumphantly when the car started "A-ha!"

"I don't think this is..."

"A good idea?" the older girl finished knowingly. She looked up and noticed that the vampire had gotten spooked and was already half way down the street "Shit..." she drove quickly after the other car.

"Faith..."

Faith glanced at Maggie as she picked up speed "Put your seatbelt on"

Maggie sighed but did as she was asked "This is ridiculous!"

"Maybe" Faith veered onto the freeway, narrowly missing an oncoming car "But it has to be done...He's killing people and it's my..." she winced and jerked the wheel to the right to pass a car "Job to stop him"

"Fuck" Maggie groaned.

"Language"

"Language?!" Maggie laughed disbelievingly "You're going to get us both killed...or arrested!"

"Well..." Faith shrugged "I don't think we're going to get arrested if that makes you feel any better..." she pressed down harder on the accelerator causing the car to speed up.

"Oh well _that's _okay!" Maggie exclaimed in mock relief "So you're not sure about getting us killed but you don't think we're going to get arrested...Great!"

"This guy isn't slowing down" Faith observed quietly as she reached the van.

"Are you even listening to..."

"Maggie?" Faith said calmly without taking her eyes off the road "Grab the wheel"

"What?! No!"

"I'm going to let go of the wheel in 3 seconds" Faith warned "And If you don't grab it we're going to crash"

"We're going too fast!" Maggie argued "I can't..."

"3...2...1..." Faith took her hands off the wheel and Maggie grabbed it quickly with one hand while she unbuckled her seatbelt with the other.

"Fucking hell!" Maggie exclaimed "Faith! What the hell are you doing?!"

"I need you to drive" Faith exclaimed monotonously "I have to get out..." she pressed the button to roll down the window.

"How are you going to...?" Maggie shook her head as something occurred to her "No way! You're going to get yourself killed"

"You have to stay close to the van...Try to get right next to it" the slayer stated quietly "Ready?" she didn't wait for an answer instead manoeuvring herself out of the window and onto the roof of the car.

Maggie moved quickly into the driver's seat "Oh God" she pressed down hard on the accelerator trying to stay as close to the van as possible and managed to drive along side it. She jumped slightly when she heard a bang from next to her. She noticed the van careen out of control just in time and hit the brakes quickly. She watched as the van swerved and crashed into the wall, exploding on impact.

"Shit..." Maggie frantically scrambled to get out of the car and moved quickly towards the burning car "No...FAITH!" an arm wrapped itself around her waist to stop her from moving to towards the flames and she fought against it valiantly, feeling tears burn in her eyes.

"Maggie!" Faith exclaimed from behind her "It's okay...I'm fine"

Maggie whirled around in Faith's half embrace to look at her "Faith..." she threw her arms around the slayer in a tight embrace before pulling back. She gazed at her for a moment before shaking her head and walking back to the car.

"MAGGIE!" Faith yelled as she followed "Maggie wait a minute!" she got into the driver's side and glanced sidelong at Maggie who refused to look at her. She sighed and started the engine.

----

"Maggie!" Faith exclaimed as she raced after Maggie down the street "Maggie wait up!" Maggie hadn't said a word to her since she had walked away and the drive home had been excruciatingly silent. Faith finally caught up to the older girl and grabbed her arm causing her to stop "Maggie..."

"What?!" Maggie demanded angrily.

"Are you mad at me?" Faith questioned hesitantly

"Mad at you? No" Maggie answered "I'm FURIOUS at you!"

"I didn't mean to..."

"What?" Maggie asked "You didn't mean to risk our lives out there?!"

"Mags..."

"You could have fucking killed us Faith! We could have died!"

"But..."

"Just because you're on some kind of suicide mission doesn't mean that _I_ want to die!" Maggie interrupted furiously "I have something to live for! And so do you...though you don't seem to think so right now!"

"Maggie..." Faith's shoulders slumped in defeat as Maggie turned on her heel and walked away. She followed her though she remained a couple of steps away. Maggie entered the house and immediately rushed upstairs to her bedroom. She entered slowly and shrugged off her shoes and Faith's jacket before climbing into the bed with Bianca. She shifted closer and snuggled closely to her girlfriend.

Bianca turned over to face Maggie and wrapped an arm around her. She frowned when she noticed the other girl was shaking slightly "What's wrong? You're shaking Honey..."

"Nothing" Maggie whispered "It's just..."

"What?" Bianca tenderly brushed a strand of hair from Maggie's face "What is it?"

"Faith stole a car...Almost killed us chasing after some vampire"

Bianca sucked in a breath "Are you hurt?"

"No" Maggie shook her head "I guess I'm just shaken up..."

"Is she hurt?"

"I don't think so" Maggie said quietly "I kind of yelled at her...Said that just because she was on some kind of suicide mission it didn't mean I wanted to die..."

"Oh"

"Bianca?" Maggie's voice came out slightly shaky and Bianca pulled her closer to her.

"Uh-huh?"

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Maggie mumbled "Can you just...Hold me?"

"Of course" Bianca whispered tightening her embrace.

---

"Maggie!" Willow exclaimed as the girl in question walked into the shop "Hi"

"Hey" Maggie smiled weakly as she leaned on the counter "How you doing?"

"I'm great" Willow smiled "You?"

"Been better" Maggie shrugged.

"Yeah..." the redhead winced slightly "How's Faith? Is she holding up?"

"Faith...isn't doing very well...I was actually hoping to ask you something"

"I can't tell you where Buffy is" Willow said quietly.

"Why?!"

"She told me not to tell you" the witch shrugged "I can't betray her trust..."

"But I just want to talk to her!" Maggie exclaimed in annoyance.

"I can't"

"It's _really_ important...Please Will?" Maggie pleaded.

"I'm sorry" Willow murmured regretfully "I really can't tell you...She asked me not to tell you..."

"Fine...Whatever!" Maggie groaned and walked out of the shop. She sighed and leaned against the wall outside "Great...Now what?"

"Maggie?"

Maggie looked to the left to see Dawn standing there. She straightened up and offered the younger girl a smile "Hey Dawnie"

"Do you want to know where Buffy is?" Dawn questioned, glancing around hesitantly.

"Yeah" Maggie answered hopefully "Do you know?"

Dawn moved forward and handed Maggie a small piece of paper "Don't tell her I told you okay? She's been acting really crazy since she broke up with Faith. She's like...depressed"

Maggie engulfed the teenager in a warm hug "Thanks Dawnie"

Dawn shrugged and motioned at the shop "I should get back..."

Maggie nodded and watched Dawn enter the shop before glancing down at the address in her hand.

---

"Alright already I'm coming!" Buffy yelled running a hand through her slightly messy hair. She pulled open the door and her expression brightened slightly when she saw Maggie standing there. She frowned however after a moment "Maggie...What are you doing here?"

"I take it you're not happy to see me?" Maggie said stepping past Buffy into the apartment.

"Of course" Buffy said to the empty doorway "Why don't you just come in?" she closed the door and turned around to face the brunette "How did you find me?"

"Does that matter?" Maggie shrugged "The point is I did, right?"

"Right" Buffy sighed "What do you want? You're supposed to be staying away from me...Remember?"

"I want to know what the hell you're doing with Faith"

Buffy frowned and moved further into the apartment "What are you talking about? I broke up with Faith. I'm not even _talking_ to her"

"You know what I'm talking about" Maggie replied angrily. She stepped closer to the blonde "You said that you loved her. That you wanted to protect her blah blah blah. And yet you continue to hurt her...How does that make sense?"

"What are you going on about?" Buffy sighed in annoyance "Look Maggie I'm really busy. I don't have time for this crap..."

"YOU KISSED SOMEBODY ELSE RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER!" Maggie yelled angrily "You're cheating on her"

Buffy appeared slightly surprised but spoke in an emotionless tone "I'm not dating Faith anymore. I'm moving on with my life...So should she"

"She loves you!" Maggie exclaimed "How can she move on?!"

"She has to"

"You said you loved her...How could that change so fast?"

"I don't love her!" Buffy lied in a hard tone "I don't think I ever did...Have you never thought that maybe I was just using her t..." she was cut off as Maggie punched her hard. Hard enough to hurt a slayer "Ow..."

"Oh God!" Maggie's hand shot to her mouth in shock. She moved forward and grabbed Buffy's arm "I'm so sorry Buffy...I didn't mean to do that"

Buffy shrugged tearfully "Feel any better?"

Maggie shook her head numbly "I'm sorry...."

""It's fine" Buffy muttered wiping blood from her bottom lip "It's good that you're pissed at me...Maybe now you'll just give up on me..."

"Buffy, Please I..."

Buffy moved around Maggie and opened the door "Go home Maggie"

Maggie couldn't find the strength to argue and instead walked out of the door.

---

"Maggie?" Bianca watched in concern as Maggie stormed straight past her and up the stairs. She released a sigh and followed. She stopped short when she got to the bedroom to see Maggie sitting on the bed sobbing quietly "Maggie..." she moved forward and pulled her girlfriend into a tight hug "Shhh...It's okay..."

Maggie returned the embrace just as tightly. She pulled back after a moment when her tears slowed.

"What's wrong?" Bianca murmured gently wiping Maggie's tears away.

"I went to see Buffy" Maggie answered shakily "Dawn gave me the address because Willow wouldn't..."

"Okay...And?"

"Buffy was saying that she was moving on and that she didn't really love Faith. She said that she never did love her and that she was just using her..." Maggie kept her voice low, mindful of Faith's slayer hearing "I yelled at her and...I hit her"

"Oh" Bianca muttered.

"I didn't mean to!" Maggie stated tearfully "I was just so angry and it was like I had no control...I didn't even register what I was doing until after I hit her..." the dyed brunette's tears began to come thicker and faster "Oh God...I'm as bad as _him!"_

"What?!" Bianca gasped "No!" she moved to kneel in front of Maggie to look into her eyes "You're not Maggie! You're nothing like _Jonathon"_

"But what if I was with him too long before I left and I'm starting to act like him?" Maggie sobbed "What if I hit _you_ next?! I couldn't stand it if I hurt you Bianca and...."

"Shhh" Bianca soothed quietly. She moved a strand of hair which was stuck to Maggie tear stained cheek away "You have to believe me Maggie...You're _nothing _like him! You're exactly the opposite of him and I know for a fact that you would never hurt me!"

"But..."

"No" Bianca said quietly "No 'Buts' okay? You are the most gentle, caring person I know Maggie Stone. You're nothing at all like him!" she stood up from the floor and sat next to Maggie on the bed pulling her back into her arms.

"I'm sorry" Maggie said quietly "I'm just messing everything up right now..." she pulled away and wiped at her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I've pushed Faith away because I was too pissed off and shaken up to try to understand" Maggie responded "I hit Buffy...And we haven't spent more than two hours together in the last week and a half except at night..."

"Okay" Bianca sighed "The first one you can work out...You just have to talk to her. The second one was not your fault because Buffy probably provoked you. And the third one definitely isn't your fault..." she reached out and caressed Maggie's cheek tenderly "I'm not saying I don't miss you...Because I do but...I don't blame you for that. I know you've got a lot going on. Trying to keep up with Faith and all..."

"But it shouldn't be like this!" Maggie persisted taking Bianca's hand in both of her own "I don't ant to distance myself from you!"

"We can fix it" Bianca reassured her quietly "Honestly...We'll be fine. But right now how about you go and talk to Faith? I'll be right here when you get back"

Maggie smiled warmly at Bianca "God I love you so much"

"I love you too" Bianca responded quietly. She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Maggie's lips "Now go...But hurry up"

Maggie nodded silently. She stood up pulling Bianca with her and kissed her passionately "Thanks Binks"

"No problem" Bianca smiled as Maggie left the room.

---

Faith lay on her bed staring blankly at the ceiling. A knock at the door disturbed her.

"Come in" she called quietly.

"Hey" Maggie stepped into the room and closed the door behind her "Sorry to disturb you..."

"Don't be" Faith shrugged, sitting up to face Maggie.

"What are you listening to?" Maggie frowned at the rather depressing song which was playing.

"Counting Crows"

"It's...Depressing" Maggie commented dryly.

"You've been crying" Faith observed in concern "Why?"

Maggie chose to ignore the question for now "I'm sorry about yelling at you yesterday"

"It's okay" the slayer shrugged "I completely deserved it...I did almost kill you after all. I shouldn't have done that. I'm supposed to be your friend and..."

"It's okay" Maggie said quietly as Faith trailed off "I overreacted a little bit..."

"Maggie?" Faith murmured tearfully.

"Uh-huh?"

"C'mere" Faith motioned for her to come closer. Maggie moved over to stand at her side and found herself in a tight hug. Though she was slightly surprised she returned the embrace just as tightly. They eventually pulled back and Faith wiped her tears self consciously while Maggie sat on the bed.

"I went to see Buffy" the younger girl said suddenly.

Faith tensed slightly "Yeah?"

"I hit her"

"You?" Faith questioned in shock "Hit _Buffy?"_

"Yeah" Maggie nodded regretfully "I was really angry at her"

"That's why you were crying?" Faith asked as realisation swept over her "You felt guilty?"

Maggie nodded and they descended into silence.

"I've decided something" the slayer said suddenly.

"What?"

"I'm not going out. I'm going to stay inside of the house because I'm just dangerous. I'll just end up getting people killed."

"You can't do that" Maggie gaped at her.

"I have to" Faith said firmly though tears shone bright in her eyes "It's the only way I can be sure I won't hurt anyone...Plus there's less chance of running into Buffy"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go for it"

"Why have you stopped calling Buffy 'B'?" Maggie asked curiously.

Faith sighed sadly "When I got back...After being in prison I started to call Buffy well...'Buffy'. She told me that I should just call her 'B'. That it was a 'Thing between us'. I guess...Right now it wouldn't seem right to call her 'B'"

"Oh" Maggie frowned as tears cascaded down Faith's cheeks "Are you okay?"

"No" Faith responded quietly "But...I guess this is what love does right? I wanted Buffy to love me and she did. Or she at least pretended to. But now it just hurts. More than I can even say..." she shrugged weakly "It's a case of be careful what you wish for..."

"Fai..." Maggie took the older girls hand in her own.

"It's like that guy said...Hearts will never be practical until they're made unbreakable..."

"You're really worrying me" Maggie whispered.

"Sorry" Faith apologised quietly "I just...I need some time alone okay Maggie? I'll be fine"

Maggie nodded and stood up "Call me if you need anything..."

"Okay...Thanks Mags..."

Maggie hugged Faith before reluctantly leaving her alone. She walked into the room she shared with Bianca and slumped down on the bed next to her.

"Didn't go well?" Bianca asked, concern colouring her voice.

"It went fine" Maggie sighed and sat up to face Bianca "She's just really worrying me..."

"Why?"

"She's listening to depressing music!" Maggie stated wide eyed "And she's quoting the Wizard of Oz!"

Bianca couldn't help the laugh that escaped her "Really?! Faith? _Our _Faith?!"

"Yeah" Maggie nodded "I don't know what to do!"

"I'm sure she'll be fine" Bianca said softly.

"She says she needs some time..." the dyed brunette responded "I hope she's okay..." she turned and offered Bianca a weak smile "It's been a really long day"

"I know" Bianca agreed as she wrapped an arm around Maggie's waist "It's been a long week" she placed a quick kiss on Maggie's cheek causing her to smile warmly.

Maggie leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Bianca's lips "How is it you always know how to make me feel better?"

"It's a gift" Bianca grinned. She was caught slightly off guard when Maggie stood and pulled her up from the bed "What..." she was cut off when Maggie kissed her passionately and pulled her close. The younger girl responded instantly by returning the kiss and tangling a hand in her lovers hair. She pulled away from the kiss only long enough to pull Maggie's shirt up and over her head, tossing it randomly behind them before their lips locked again. She spun them around and with a surge of passion fuelled strength lifted Maggie by her waist settling her gently on the bed.

"Wow" Maggie grinned "You're kind of strong"

"Maggie?"

"Yeah I know" Maggie smiled "I'm shutting up"

Bianca laughed out loud before moving forward and returning to the kiss.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**So here's the next chapter. Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews. They're really appreciated...**

**The reference to Bianca having 'never driven in the dark' is from an interview with Elizabeth Hendrickson and Eden Reigel...You should check it out! It's really funny :) **

**YouTube . com .com/watch?v=LTtcWot3l4s**

**Hope y'all enjoy the chapter...**

Chapter 6 

"Hey!" Maggie exclaimed as she jumped onto the couch next to Bianca "What are you doing?"

"Working" Bianca sighed gesturing to the paper spread out on the table in front of her "I have to sort through all of this paperwork"

"Oh..." Maggie said in disappointment as she stood up to leave "Well I guess I'll leave you to it"

"No!" Bianca reached out and grasped Maggie's hand pulling her back down onto the couch next to her "You're a very welcome distraction"

"Yeah?" Maggie wrapped her arms around Bianca's waist and placed a kiss on her shoulder "Good. Because I was missing you...again"

"I missed you too" Bianca responded distractedly. She gazed closely at the resume in her hand before flinging it carelessly onto the table "This is ridiculous"

"What?" Maggie questioned in alarm "What is?"

"Just work stuff" Bianca sighed tiredly "And other stuff...It's too hard"

"Other stuff?" Maggie echoed in concern "Like what?"

"Everything" the younger girl answered frustratedly "Work, this thing with Buffy and Faith, You, Us, Va..."

"Wait a minute" Maggie shifted slightly to look at Bianca "What about me and us? I thought we were doing okay..._really_ okay"

"We were" Bianca said quietly "We are...It doesn't matter"

"It _does_ matter!" Maggie frowned. She reached out and took Bianca's hand in her own "If there's something wrong with our relationship I want to know about it" to Maggie's utmost shock Bianca burst into tears "Bianca?" she moved from the couch to kneel in front of the tearful girl and took both of her hands.

"I'm sorry" Bianca sniffled tearfully.

"What's wrong?" Maggie questioned, worry shining in her eyes "Did I do something to upset you or..."

"You didn't do anything" Bianca muttered through her tears "It doesn't matter..."

Maggie felt tears build up in her own eyes at Bianca's obvious distress "But you said that there was something wrong with 'Us' Bianca...I thought everything was really great between us and..."

"Everything is really great!" Bianca pulled one of her hands free from Maggie's and wiped at her falling tears "And I should be happy...But I can't be!"

"Binks..." Maggie felt her heart stop in her chest "You're...You're not happy _with me_? Are you breaking up with me?!"

"No!" Bianca answered firmly "I am happy with you Maggie...I'm happier than I've ever been with you..."

"But?" Maggie questioned softly "There is a 'but' right?"

"I don't know" Bianca sighed "I was just over-thinking stuff again."

"What were you thinking about?"

"You. Me...Us" Bianca answered quietly "I was just thinking. We're happy right? I mean...Are you happy with me?"

"Of course I am" Maggie nodded instantly "Where is this coming from Bianca?"

Bianca shrugged sadly "I don't know. I just...I don't want anything to go wrong with us. I mean look what happened with Buffy and Faith. Plus we're in danger practically 24/7...I know it's pretty ridiculous to be worrying so much but..."

"It's not ridiculous" Maggie smiled softly at her "I've thought the exact same thing but as long as we're together we'll be fine. And we _will_ be together"

"I know" Bianca offered Maggie a weak smile "I'm sorry...I'm just being stupid"

"No you're not" Maggie leaned up and pulled Bianca into a warm hug "You're not being stupid at all but..."

"But?"

"I really need to stand up because my knees are killing me" Maggie grinned as she pulled out of the embrace.

Bianca laughed and pulled Maggie back onto the couch next to her "Thanks Mags...You always know how to make me feel better"

"It's a gift" the older girl smiled as she snuggled slightly closer to Bianca. All was silent for a moment until she spoke up "I think I should get a job"

"Why?" Bianca frowned.

"You're working way too hard" Maggie answered guilt audible in her voice "I really should start pulling my weight around here"

"You have Uni" Bianca reminded her gently "You don't need a job Mags...We're financially 'comfortable' in case you haven't noticed. Anyway we don't see each other very often now...It would be a hell of a lot harder if you had a job"

"I know" Maggie released a deep breath "I'm sorry about that Binks..."

"It'll get better" Bianca said comfortingly as she turned around to face the other girl. She paused when she noticed they were only a breath away from each other "Maggie?"

"Yeah?"

"I really want to kiss you" Bianca licked her lips and slid closer to Maggie on the couch.

"Good. Because I've been waiting to kiss you ever since I c..." Maggie was cut off as Bianca ducked her head and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

"Woo" Maggie grinned breathlessly when Bianca pulled away "You really did want to kiss me" she moved forward to return to the kiss but stopped halfway when Bianca shifted away "What?"

"Couch" Bianca reminded her "Your obsession is weird"

Maggie pouted at her "Bedroom?"

"Nope" Bianca smiled shaking her head "We're going out tonight. On patrol"

"We are?" Maggie said in disappointment. She wrapped her arms around Bianca's waist and leaned into her side "But I thought maybe we could just stay in..."

"You're just trying to seduce me" Bianca giggled as she felt Maggie drop a soft kiss on her neck.

"Guilty" Maggie replied quietly. She frowned and sat up realising something "We're going on patrol? Alone?"

"No" Bianca answered "Of course not. Faith's coming with us"

"Faith hasn't left the house for over a week" Maggie reminded her girlfriend gently "How do you propose that we change that?"

"I have a plan" Bianca smiled mysteriously "It's all worked out..."

"Yeah?" Maggie questioned "Planning on sharing?"

"You'll see" the younger girl winked.

"But if we go out that means I won't get to kiss you until we get back" Maggie pointed out "That's a whole _four hours!_"

"You're so dramatic" Bianca rolled her eyes at Maggie.

"I am not!"

"Are too" Bianca argued softly. She leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Maggie's lips before pulling back by a fraction of an inch "But it's incredibly cute"

"Well..." Maggie smiled as she pulled Bianca forward and kissed her shortly "I'll just have to kiss you as much as we can until we have to go"

"Bu..." Bianca was cut off when Maggie pulled her into a passionate kiss.

---

Faith sighed to herself as she trailed miserably down the corridor. She hesitated at the stairs before continuing past them. She looked up sharply when she heard a cry from the nursery.

"Miranda..." she mumbled to herself before she jogged back the way she had come and opened the door gently. The small Childs face brightened at the sight of her.

" 'Aith!"

Faith couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips as Miranda attempted to say her name. She moved over to the crib and picked her up gently "Hey Manda!" she spun around with the little girl in her arms causing her to release a small giggle.

The slayer grinned brightly at the sound and slumped down onto a chair with Miranda on her lap. She glanced at the clock noting that it read 10:45pm.

"Another night alone huh kid?" she smiled sadly at the Child in her arms.

Miranda tilted her head to the side and gazed at Faith innocently. She reached up and patted the slayers cheek as if in an attempt to comfort her.

Faith chuckled "Thanks Manda" she hugged the young girl close to her and inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm herself. She sat like that for a few minutes noticing that Miranda appeared to be falling asleep in her arms. Feeling somebody's eyes on her she looked up to see Bianca and Maggie standing in the doorway and offered them a weak smile "Hey"

"Hey" they said in unison as they entered the room.

"She was crying" Faith said quietly, looking down at Miranda in her arms "But I was heading over here anyway..."

"Are you okay?" Bianca asked in concern as she leaned against the wall behind her.

"I'm fine" Faith sniffled slightly, trying to push back rapidly approaching tears "Well, I wasn't before...I was in my room, thinking. Not a good idea right now apparently. I decided that the only thing that could make me feel better right now is Miranda"

Bianca and Maggie shared a knowing look.

"Yeah" Bianca smiled proudly at her daughter "She seems to have that effect on most people"

"So did you guys want something?" Faith asked quietly.

"We're going out on patrol" Bianca answered "We were wondering if you wanted to come with...Right Mags?"

"Yeah" Maggie nodded slowly.

"I can't go out" Faith answered shortly "I told you...I just end up hurting people"

"Oh" Bianca said in faked disappointment "I guess we'll have to go by ourselves than"

"What?!" Faith looked up at her sharply "No! You can't do that...You'll get yourselves killed"

"We'll be fine" Bianca shrugged. She glanced at Maggie who was gazing at her in confusion and shot her a look that said 'trust me'.

"There's no way in hell I'm letting you two go out there alone!" Faith said firmly though she kept her voice hushed mindful of Miranda.

"So you're coming with us?" Bianca questioned hopefully.

"What about Miranda?" Faith motioned towards the sleeping child in her arms "Somebody needs to watch her"

"Dawnie said she would do it" Bianca responded "It's all taken care of..."

"Fine" Faith sighed dolefully "I'll come with you" she narrowed her eyes at them in mock anger "Y'know if I didn't love you guys so much I'd seriously kill you for blackmailing me" she was met with innocent stares.

---

"So remind me again why you wouldn't drive" Faith said glancing at Bianca as they walked slowly through the dark graveyard.

Maggie grinned affectionately at her girlfriend who had begun to blush profusely and pulled her close to her side "She's never driven in the dark before"

"Cute" Faith laughed at the younger girl who stuck her tongue out at her.

"Shut up" Bianca mumbled.

"Sorry" Faith smiled lightly at her before she glanced around self consciously "I wonder where all the vamps are tonight"

Bianca and Maggie shrugged.

"So Faith..." Maggie started nervously "How are you doing?"

"No better than the last time you asked...About two hours ago" Faith smirked good naturedly. Her expression darkened after a moment however "I guess I just have to accept that she doesn't want me and there's no way to change that..."

"You shouldn't give up" Bianca offered optimistically "I mean...look at me and Maggie...I didn't think we would _ever_ get to where we are now"

"Yeah, but that's different" Faith shrugged as she glanced to her right at Bianca and Maggie "You guys are like...Predestined or whatever. It's obvious that you're meant to be together. I've only ever seen that once before..."

"Where?" Maggie asked curiously as she tightened her hold on Bianca's hand.

"Willow and Tara" Faith responded quietly "They had the same kind of connection you guys have except theirs was even more obvious through the Magic"

"Oh" Maggie nodded slowly "Tara seems like a great person...Will must have been heartbroken when she died..."

"She was" Faith sighed sadly "Losing somebody you love leads you to do crazy things...Like skinning guys alive"

Bianca and Maggie flinched slightly.

"Willow did that?" Bianca asked in shock "I mean I know she killed somebody but..."

"She was hurting" the slayer informed them quietly "He had taken the love of her life away and she wanted to make him pay for it in the most painful way possible. Plus it didn't help that she'd soaked up a hell of a lot of dark Magic"

"Wow" Maggie muttered.

The group fell into a comfortable silence until Maggie spoke up again "I still don't think you should give up on her yet..."

"Yeah" Bianca agreed "You just have to..."

"If either of you tell me to have Faith I'm going to kick your asses" Faith smiled weakly at them "But seriously guys...I just need to accept it"

"But..."

"Wait!" Faith interrupted them as she ground to a halt. She looked around slowly and listened closely into the silence of the night "What was tha..." she was cut off by a vampire tackling her from the side. She hit the ground hard and rolled quickly out from under the fanged beast wincing as she did so.

"Ow..." she rubbed her shoulder painfully and glared at the vamp as he advanced on her "That hurt!" she moved forward and staked him in one firm motion.

"DUCK!" Maggie and Bianca yelled in unison.

Faith ducked just in time and a vampire soared over her head. She straightened up and flashed them a quick smile "Thanks Guys" she spun on her heel to face the vampire and smirked at him.

"Oh Shit..." her expression quickly changed as her vision began to swim in front of her "Oh no...Not now..." she shook her head in an attempt to clear her vision but found that it only disorientated her more.

"Faith?" Maggie questioned nervously as the vampire moved over to Faith who stood completely still "What are you doing?"

"I can't see" Faith answered in panic "Everything's Blur..." she was cut off by a sharp blow to her cheek "Fuck..." she struck out blindly in front of her and felt a flash of satisfaction when her hand struck the vamp.

"I really don't think this is the best time to be collapsing" Maggie stated rather unhelpfully.

"Geeze thanks for telling me Maggie" Faith responded sarcastically "I don't think I would have realised otherwise..."

"Look out!" Bianca exclaimed loudly.

Faith dodged to her left, almost falling over herself in the process but managed to dodge the vamps hit.

"Whoa..." she said blearily as her head began to spin ever more and her knees buckled "I think I'm..." she dropped to her knees in front of the vampire "This is so not good..."

"FAITH!" Bianca and Maggie yelled in unison as the vampire backhanded her roughly across her face. Faith winced and attempted to push herself to her feet. She succeeded in doing so after a moment.

The vampire released a low growl and punched the slayer as hard as he could. Faith flew the short distance into a nearby headstone and slumped to the ground motionless.

"FAITH?!"

Bianca and Maggie gazed at the vampire in horror as he approached them slowly. Maggie quickly pushed Bianca behind her and stood protectively in between her and the vamp.

---

"FAITH!" Buffy looked up as she walked at the sound of her ex-girlfriend's name. She hesitated for a moment before she rushed in the direction of the sound.

"FAITH?!" at the second yell Bianca sped up and spotted Bianca and Maggie up ahead of her. She veered to a stop and watched in stunned terror as Maggie moved to stand protectively in front of Bianca as a vampire advanced on them. The blonde slayer quickly sprinted towards them and tackled the vampire roughly to the ground. Her surprise was evident when the vampire pushed her off him with a mere swipe though she recovered quickly and stood between him and Bianca and Maggie. He advanced on her slowly and she remained perfectly still. She ducked quickly when he reached her and threw a punch. She wasn't however prepared for the two follow up punches which hit her straight after.

"Shit..." she cursed as she felt blood begin to spill from her bottom lip. A quick kick to the ribs sent her sprawling towards the floor but she rolled and sprang back to her feet pulling out a stake as she did so. She aimed precisely as the vampire moved towards her and threw it when he was a mere two feet from her. It hit him square in the chest and he exploded into dust.

"Buffy..." Maggie looked up from where she and Bianca had moved over next to Faith.

Buffy wiped at the blood which was trailing down from her lip and looked up at them "Wha..." her gaze landed on Faith who lay motionless on the ground and she scrambled quickly to her feet "No..." she dropped to her knees next to Faith and placed a hand on her cheek "Faith?" when no answer was forthcoming Buffy checked her pulse quickly relieved when she found a slow but steady one "Faith, Please wake up..." she pressed a soft kiss to the younger girls hand as tears flooded her eyes "I'm so sorry Faith..."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the next chapter guys! Thanks for all of your reviews. This is just a kind of filler chapter. Hope you all enjoy anyway...**

Chapter 7

"Ow..." Faith winced slightly as she raised a hand to the back of her aching head. She blinked blearily and noticed Bianca, Maggie and Buffy hovering above her nervously "What happened? I feel like I was hit by a truck!" she sat up slowly and pulled her hand back to see it was covered in blood.

"You were attacked" Buffy answered quietly from her side "I think it was an uber-vamp"

"Oh" Faith turned her attention towards Bianca and Maggie and searched them for visible injuries "Are you two okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"We're fine" Maggie answered softly, concern clear in her voice "Buffy showed up just in time"

Faith looked over at Buffy and frowned when she noticed her split lip "You're hurt..." she raised a hand to the blonde girls' cheek but after a moment she seemed to realise what she was doing and quickly removed it.

"It doesn't matter" Buffy shrugged sadly "You're more hurt than me" she stood up slowly "Come on...I'll walk you guys home" she offered a hand to Faith who hesitated slightly before taking it. She pulled the younger girl gently to her feet but Faith swayed unsteadily and almost dropped back onto the ground. Buffy tentatively wrapped an arm around Faith's waist to steady her and felt relief flow through her when Faith supported herself by wrapping an around her shoulders in response.

"She's going to leave again isn't she?" Bianca said softly to Maggie as they began to walk slowly after the two older girls.

"It seems like it" Maggie sighed and tightened her grip on Bianca's hand "I still don't really understand any of this though"

"Me either" Bianca replied in confusion "She says that she's protecting Faith. That's she's somehow going to hurt her...But how could she possibly know that?"

"Buffy's logic is a bit twisted lately" Maggie muttered darkly.

"You sound like you're still mad at her" Bianca observed thoughtfully as she glanced sidelong at her fiancé.

"Are you saying that you're not?" Maggie challenged, meeting her look "After everything that's happened with Faith?"

"I'm mad at her" Bianca answered honestly "But I don't think I'm as mad at her as you are right now."

"I just don't understand it, that's all" Maggie sighed "She says that she loves her but then she says all of this crap like she never really did love her and that she was just using her...It pisses me off that somebody could say anything like that about somebody they 'Love'"

"Maybe she was upset" Bianca offered quietly "She was a mess the night she broke up with Faith. There could be a perfectly good reason for all of this"

Maggie smiled slightly at Bianca "You know what I love about you?"

"What?" Bianca prompted curiously.

"You always see the good in people" Maggie untangled her hand from Bianca's and wrapped an arm around her shoulders "I don't know how you do it sometimes"

Bianca shrugged modestly "Yeah well..." she glanced up surprised to find they were nearing the door of the house "Looks like we're here"

"Yeah...This should be fun" Maggie mumbled sarcastically as they entered the house and she closed the door behind them. They followed Buffy and Faith into the living room and watched as the blonde slayer gently helped Faith to sit down on the couch.

"Ow" Faith winced and raised a hand to her still bleeding head "This really hurts!"

"I'll get a first aid kit" Maggie said quietly before she moved out of the room.

"Erm..." Buffy hovered uncertainly in front of the couch as if she was at a loss for what to do "Where's Miranda?"

"Dawnie has her" Bianca answered quietly.

"Oh" Buffy nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around herself "Okay" she looked up relieved when Maggie returned to the room, with a first aid kit in her hand.

"Right" Maggie sighed and sat next to Faith on the couch, indicating that she should turn around slightly.

"OW!" Faith flinched when Maggie's hand came into contact with the cut at the back of her head.

"Stay still" Maggie advised quietly as she moved the slayers hair so she could see the damage "It'll be a hell of a lot easier"

"It hurts!" Faith winced as the younger girl tended to the cut as gently as she possibly could.

"Done!" Maggie exclaimed finally as she pulled away and stood up "All you need now is..." she held her hand out to Faith and opened her fist to reveal two tablets "Painkillers"

"Thanks" Faith mumbled as she took the painkillers and reached up to tentatively touch the back of her head "I need a shower too...I have blood in my hair"

"Um...Right" Buffy said from where she stood "If you're okay I think I should get going..." she motioned towards the door and started to make her way towards it.

"Wait!" Faith said quietly stopping the older slayer from leaving the room.

"What?" Buffy questioned sadly.

"I need to ask you something before you go..." Faith looked up into Buffy's eyes.

"You can ask me anything" Buffy answered hesitantly.

"Why did you leave me?" Faith asked slowly "I need the truth Buffy. Was it because you didn't love me? You didn't want me anymore?"

Bianca and Maggie exchanged awkward glances.

"No!" Buffy exclaimed quickly "That wasn't it at all. I did love you. I _do_ love you. It's just that..." she exhaled deeply and glanced over at Bianca and Maggie who appeared to be inching towards the doorway "Maybe you two should sit down. This could take a while"

"Oh" Bianca gestured towards the door "We were just going to give you guys some privacy..."

Buffy shook her head "I only want to have to say this once"

Bianca and Maggie nodded and took a seat on either side of Faith on the couch.

"I had a nightmare" Buffy started slowly "In which I tried to kill you...again. The same way I did before. But it wasn't a nightmare because when I woke up I could still hear the woman who told me what I was going to do. I think the dream was a warning"

"A warning about what?!" Faith asked clearly shocked "That you're going to get the urge to try to gut me again?"

"No...Yes...I don't know" Buffy sighed in frustration.

"So...Wait a minute" Faith leaned forward and gazed at Buffy with hurt eyes "You broke up with me because of a dream you had?"

"I already told you it wasn't a dream!" Buffy countered "It was real"

"Right..." Faith nodded "And you didn't think that we could get through this together? That if you had told me we could have sorted it out?"

"I didn't want to risk hurting you..." Buffy replied weakly.

"Hurting me?" Faith laughed bitterly "You don't think you've hurt me by doing all of this?"

Bianca and Maggie glanced at each other uneasily.

"Hey" Maggie cut in hesitantly "Maybe Bianca and I should..."

"What else was I supposed to do Faith?!" Buffy said loudly "Was I supposed to risk your life by staying with you?"

"Yes!" Faith responded angrily "Stabbing me would have hurt a hell of a lot fucking less Buffy!"

"Look" Buffy closed her eyes and exhaled deeply before looking towards Bianca and Maggie "I'm sorry Guys...Can you give us a minute?"

Both girls glanced at Faith hesitantly.

"I'll be fine" Faith smiled weakly. She watched as Bianca and Maggie left before she turned back to Buffy expectantly.

"Faith..." Buffy moved to sit on the couch next to the younger girl "I love you. It's as simple as that. I had to protect you. Hurting you was never my intention"

"Well you did" Faith muttered quietly as she looked up into Buffy's eyes "What about the girl at the bar? How are you going to explain that?"

"The girl at the bar?" Buffy echoed in confusion "What do you mean?"

"You kissed somebody else" Faith stated painfully "And God knows what happened after I left..."

"You were there with Maggie?" Buffy asked in shock "You saw me..."

"Yeah" the brunette nodded slowly "I saw you. Maybe there was a different reason you broke up with me. What was I to you? Some kind of experiment?"

"No!" Buffy shook her head vigorously "You were never an experiment Faith. You were...I love you, okay?! I'm trying to do what's best for everybody here"

"What happened after I left the bar?" Faith bit her lip and silently cursed herself as tears flooded her eyes "Did you..."

"I was a mess..." Buffy explained quietly "I was drunk that night and she was just...there. I promise nothing else happened with her though"

"I thought we were happy together" Faith's eyes dropped to her lap "That everything was going really great between us"

"It was!" Buffy persisted quietly "But this...Dream changed everything"

"I missed you..." Faith admitted softly "I couldn't stand being without you B"

"I missed you too" Buffy replied tearfully. She tentatively reached out and grasped the other girls hand gently in her own.

"Are you leaving again?" Faith asked sadly.

"Do you want me to?" Buffy responded nervously "If you do I can go..."

"I don't want you to go" the dark haired slayer squeezed Buffy's hand and looked up into Buffy's eyes "We can get through this...Can't we?"

"We'll take it slow" Buffy agreed hesitantly as she reached up to brush a strand of hair from Faith's cheek.

---

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Bianca asked unsurely as she followed Maggie into their bedroom. She shut the door quietly behind them and watched as Maggie dropped tiredly onto the bed.

"I don't know" Maggie sighed as she lay back "I hope so"

"Is something wrong?" Bianca moved to sit on the bed next to her fiancé and looked down at her in pure concern.

"No" Maggie responded quietly as she sat up next to Bianca "I'm just worried about what Buffy was saying...Plus Faith passed out again at the cemetery, remember?"

"Maybe she's sick" Bianca offered quietly "I mean you're the doctor...What do you think?"

"I'm not a doctor yet" Maggie grinned "I'm still in training but...I don't know what it could be Binks. She won't even go to an actual doctor to get it checked out...You know what Faith's like"

"Yeah I do" Bianca chuckled.

"At least something good came out of tonight" Maggie offered optimistically.

"What's that?" Bianca asked curiously.

"They might actually talk now" Maggie answered as she shuffled slightly closer to Bianca "And hopefully they'll sort things out"

"Hopefully" Bianca nodded and turned slightly to face Maggie, placing a light kiss on her lips.

"What was that for?" Maggie grinned as Bianca stood up.

"Just felt like kissing you" Bianca smiled before she began to move away.

"Hey!" Maggie caught Bianca's hand and pulled her back down onto the bed "Where are you going?"

"Apparently nowhere?" the younger girl responded.

"Good" Maggie leaned forward and kissed the other girl sweetly "Because I plan on making the most of Dawnie baby-sitting"

"You do, do you?" Bianca giggled.

"I certainly do" Maggie answered before she pressed a deeper kiss to Bianca's lips and gently pressed her backwards onto the bed.

---

"_Hey Bianca?" Maggie grinned as she pulled away from the soft kiss. _

"_Uh-huh?" Bianca responded as she opened her eyes to look up at her girlfriend questioningly. _

"_I love you"_

"_I love you too" Bianca smiled before she pulled Maggie back down into the kiss. They pulled back breathlessly after a couple of moments and Maggie began to gently kiss her way down Bianca's jaw to her neck. _

"_Frankie..." Bianca's voice sounded breathlessly and Maggie immediately paused what she was doing. After a mere second however she pulled away and jumped off the bed almost falling over in her hurry. _

"_Bianca please tell me you didn't just call me what I think you called me" she said as she gazed at the younger girl in wide eyed horror. _

"_Uh...I don't know what you mean" Bianca attempted though the guilt in her eyes was obvious. _

"_Oh God..." Maggie muttered as tears formed in her eyes. She took a step back towards the door and watched as Bianca stood up. _

"_Maggie..." Bianca stepped forward and reached out for her girlfriend. _

"_Don't" Maggie shook her head causing unshed tears to cascade down her cheeks "Just don't Binks..." she turned quickly and rushed out of the room ignoring Bianca's calls for her to wait. _

Maggie shot up in bed with a loud gasp and looked quickly around the room. She raised a hand tentatively to her cheek and felt that it was wet with tears "What the hell was that..."

"Maggie?" Bianca sat up next to her "Are you okay?" she placed a hand comfortingly on the dyed brunettes arm.

"Yeah" Maggie wiped quickly at her tears so Bianca didn't notice them "I just...Had a weird dream that's all" she settled back down in the bed next to Bianca and wrapped and arm carefully around her waist.

"Are you sure?" Bianca questioned sleepily.

"Yeah" Maggie nodded slowly.

After a while Maggie noticed Bianca's breathing even out indicating that she had fallen back asleep. The older girl lay in silence gazing at the ceiling, her mind still on the unusual dream...

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, It's official...I suck. I'm really sorry for the late update! I had College and work etc...Not really an excuse, I know. I promise I'll try to get better. Anyway...Thanks so much for all of the reviews. I really appreciate them. Oh and Jds and Acester: Thanks for reminding me to update! **

**Quick question: Do any of you guys **_**really**_** like Lena? I need to know how lenient I have to be with her character (I don't especially like her) because I don't want to annoy any of you by portraying her badly...**

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter (Longest chapter so far I think!) **

Chapter 8

Faith walked slowly into the kitchen and did a double take when she saw Maggie sitting at the table, staring miserably into her steaming coffee "What's wrong?" she moved over to the coffee machine and pressed the button before turning back to Maggie.

"Nothing..." Maggie sighed miserably without looking up.

"Right" Faith chuckled at the obvious lie and grabbed her cup of coffee before sitting at the table opposite the younger girl "So what's really wrong?"

"You're going to think it's stupid..." Maggie looked up at Faith unsurely.

"If something's bothering you, you can tell me" Faith replied supportively "I'm sure it's not as stupid as you think it is"

"I've been having this dream for the past week or so..." at the slayer's concerned look Maggie continued "It's not serious. Well it's serious to me but..."

"What's in it than?" Faith questioned slowly.

"Uh...Well..." Maggie coughed and blushed slightly "This is kind of awkward"

"What?" Faith leaned slightly forward and gazed at Maggie in curiosity "Why is it awkward?"

"In this dream Bianca and I are...Y'know" Maggie sunk further down in her seat as her blush brightened slightly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Faith said with a barely suppressed grin.

"See?!" Maggie covered her face with her hands in embarrassment "That's why I didn't want to tell you! God this is so embarrassing..."

"I'm sorry" Faith sat up slightly and attempted to look more serious "I'm just teasing Mags...But what's the problem with _being_ with Bianca in your dream? You're practically married to her!"

"I know" Maggie sighed and lowered her hands reluctantly to look at Faith "But that's not the part I'm bothered about"

"Than what is it?" Faith pressed gently "I don't think I'm following here"

"She said somebody else's name" Maggie sighed and dropped her head to her folded arms on the table.

"Oh! Ouch..." Faith winced sympathetically "That's definitely not good. But...Why? I mean whose name did Bianca actually say?"

"She said 'Frankie'" Maggie said miserably without moving from her defeated position.

"Frankie?" Faith thought carefully for a moment "I think you've mentioned that name before but...I can't remember"

"She is or was my sister" Maggie finally lifted her head from her arms and sighed heavily "My twin sister to be exact..."

"Oh yeah" Faith nodded slowly "She got to PV before you did, right? Then you went there after she died and you met Bianca?"

"Yeah" Maggie couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips at the mention of her girlfriend's name "That's right"

"So you're having these dreams because you think that Bianca is only with you so because you look like Frankie?" Faith frowned in confusion.

"No!" Maggie exclaimed instantly as she shook her head "No...Bianca loves me!"

"Hey you don't have to tell me twice!" the slayer held her hands up in surrender "I know that. Anyone with eyes can see that she loves you but...Maybe these are old doubts resurfacing?"

"Maybe" Maggie sighed deeply as her shoulders slumped in defeat "It's so confusing. The dreams just won't go away..."

"Have you talked to Bianca about this?" Faith asked tiredly as she sagged slightly in her seat blinking rapidly.

"Are you crazy?!" Maggie asked in surprise, not even seeming to notice the slayer's odd behaviour "What am I supposed to say to her? 'Sorry Bianca but I don't trust you and at least part of me thinks that you're only with me because you still want my dead sister?!'"

"Hmmn...Yeah" Faith nodded slowly "You're probably right. Not the best idea...Wait, you don't trust her?!"

"What I meant was that it will seem like I don't trust her if I tell her" Maggie frowned when she noticed that Faith seemed slightly sick "What's wrong?!"

"Nothing" Faith attempted to take a deep breath but found that it only made her feel worse "I just don't feel very good. That's all..."

"Faith this is serious!" Maggie stood up from her chair and walked over to the older girl, to sit right next to her "You're obviously really sick!"

"That's a bit harsh" Faith grinned weakly though she couldn't help but wince as a wave of nausea washed over her and her hand shot to her stomach.

"Faith, I'm serious!" Maggie said with a concerned glare as she moved her hand to Faith's shoulder "I don't know what's wrong with you...I'm really worried!"

"You don't need to be" Faith said quietly "I'm sure it will go away eventually"

"It hasn't yet" Maggie reminded her gently "Have you told Buffy yet?"

"No...I don't want to worry her" Faith turned slightly in her chair to face Maggie and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile "I'll be fine Mags...It's only headaches, pain, sickness and passing out!"

"Only?" Maggie asked sceptically "You need to go to see a doctor Faith..." when she noticed Faith was about to interrupt she continued quickly "A REAL doctor!"

"But I don't like doctors!" Faith practically whined. She quickly backtracked at Maggie's slightly offended look "Except you of course"

"Right" Maggie shook her head in amusement before she turned slightly more serious "Seriously though Faith...Just because you're a slayer that doesn't make you invincible. You can still get sick like the rest of us. And I'm kinda scared that you're really unwell!"

"I know" Faith sighed softly "I will go eventually...I promise"

"Good" Maggie nodded though she still looked worried "The sooner the better though, okay?"

"Okay" Faith nodded in agreement.

---

"Hey" Maggie smiled softly as she walked into her bedroom to see Bianca standing in front of the mirror. She walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her from behind "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to go out" Bianca grinned at her girlfriend in the mirror "Which is exactly what you should be doing right now"

"Where are we going?" Maggie smiled as she playfully nuzzled the younger girl's neck earning herself a soft giggle in response.

"We're going out with Buffy and Faith remember?" Bianca asked as she leaned back into Maggie's embrace.

"Do we really have to?" Maggie sighed as she tightened her embrace slightly "I don't really feel like going out right now...I'm kind of exhausted"

"Definitely not my fault this time" Bianca shrugged before she turned around to look at the other girl.

"What do you mean?" Maggie frowned.

"Nothing..." Bianca answered hesitantly "I just mean that you've been a little bit distant lately. That's all...Should I be worried?"

"Bianca I..." Maggie paused for a moment before continuing sadly "No. You don't have anything to worry about"

"You're a terrible liar" Bianca commented as she pulled away and walked over to sit on the bed "I know that something's wrong with you or well..._Us"_

"It's not you" Maggie said as she moved to sit next to Bianca, taking her hand in her own "It's me. I just have to work through something right now"

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" Bianca asked softly.

"I'm not sure that you want to know" Maggie sighed as she turned slightly to look into Bianca's eyes "By telling you I might accidently...Hurt you"

"I need to know if something's wrong with you" Bianca frowned in worry "Unless you don't want to tell me?"

"It's not that I don't want to tell you..." Maggie bit her lip guiltily "It's just that I don't want you to think that I don't trust you...Because that's what it'll sound like if I do tell you"

"Okay..." Bianca nodded slowly "I don't really understand why it would seem like you don't trust me but I do really need to know Mags"

"Okay" Maggie nodded and smiled weakly at her girlfriend "But not now, okay? I'll tell you later"

"Right" Bianca smiled content with the answer she had received and stood up "Now shouldn't you be getting ready? We leave in half an hour"

"Can we just wait for a minute?" Maggie reached out and took Bianca's hand pulling her gently back down next to her "I kind of just want to be with you right now..."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bianca asked in concern as she placed her hand on Maggie's cheek "If you want we could just stay in. I won't go anywhere. I promise"

"I'm okay" Maggie sighed softly and leaned into Bianca's soft touch "I just...I need to know that if I tell you this it won't change things between us"

Bianca stayed silent and gazed at Maggie in worry for a moment before speaking up "You're kind of scaring me Mags..."

"Sorry" Maggie slid closer to Bianca on the bed and wrapped an arm around her waist "It's not all that serious really. It's just a stupid dream..."

"A dream?" Bianca echoed slowly "What kind of dream?"

"I'll tell you later" Maggie answered as she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Bianca's lips "Thanks Binks"

"For what?" the younger girl smiled "I didn't do anything"

"You don't have to" Maggie shrugged "Just being with you makes me feel better"

"Good" Bianca replied quietly "Because I hate it when you feel bad"

"God I love you" Maggie smiled lovingly before she captured Bianca's lips with her own in a soft kiss. She moved her hands tenderly to the other girls cheeks and began to press her backwards.

"I love you too" Bianca beamed when they pulled back somewhat breathless "But if we're actually going to go out you should probably be getting ready"

"We can be late" Maggie grinned mischievously before she kissed Bianca somewhat chastely "Buffy and Faith won't mind"

"Yeah but you know what Faith's like..." Bianca continued stubbornly trying to resist under Maggie's attention "She'll tease you endlessly and you'll be blushing for like half an hour"

"I thought you said I was cute when I blush" Maggie smiled.

"I did...I mean you are" Bianca rolled her eyes at her own jumbled thoughts "Never mind...We can be late" she pulled Maggie into a passionate kiss and pulled her down on top of her.

---

"We were wondering where you two were" Faith grinned when Bianca and Maggie walked into the room hand in hand "You're almost an hour late" she watched as they both took a seat on the couch opposite her.

"We got a bit...Distracted" Maggie said as she glanced at Bianca and smiled adoringly.

"You two always get 'distracted'" Faith rolled her eyes at them but couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips "Can't keep your hands off each other"

"It's your fault" Bianca grinned at Maggie "You're a bad influence"

"You weren't complaining" Maggie countered as she nudged Bianca playfully.

"Obviously not if you're this late" Faith commented.

"Whatever" Maggie blushed and stuck her tongue out at the amused slayer.

"Told you, you would end up blushing" Bianca said from next to her.

"You're supposed to be on my side" Maggie replied though she moved further into Bianca's embrace.

"I am" Bianca laughed and dropped a soft kiss onto the other girl's head "But you're totally adorable"

"Aww!" Faith gushed with a grin "You guys are soooo Cute!"

"Shut up" Maggie responded jokingly.

"Sorry...I'm just teasing" Faith said as her expression turned slightly more serious "But really...You guys give me hope"

Bianca and Maggie shot the older girl a warm smile.

"So where's Bu..." Bianca started to speak before she was interrupted by Buffy entering the room.

"Lookie here!"

"Lookie here?!" Faith echoed "You talk weird sometimes"

"I'm whimsical" Buffy informed her as she sat on the couch "its part of my charm"

"Right" Faith laughed "If you say so...So what are we looking at?"

"Oh...Never-mind" Buffy replied as she looked over at Bianca and Maggie with a teasing smile "You two finally decided to drag yourselves out of your bedroom than?"

"We weren't..." at Buffy's disbelieving look Maggie sighed and shook her head "Never-mind, are we going?!"

---

"Well that was fun" Faith commented as they walked slowly back to the house "Makes a change from Vampire hunting"

"Agreed" Bianca called from Behind them. She tightened her grip slightly on Maggie's hand "I'm not really used to being out in the light anymore"

"That's a bit dramatic" Buffy laughed "It's not like we only go out at night"

"It seem..." Bianca started to respond before she was interrupted by a loud shout.

"BIANCA?!"

Bianca let go of Maggie's hand and spun around quickly "LENA?!" she found herself grabbed in a tight hug "Oh My God what are you doing here?"

"Please tell me I'm having a nightmare" Maggie said in a whisper as she looked over at Faith who appeared rather perplexed.

"Maggie!" Lena exclaimed when she pulled away from Bianca "It's nice to see you again!"

"Uh...Yeah. You too" Maggie said with a fake smile as she took Bianca's hand back in her own and tugged her gently back to her side. They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Buffy cleared her throat.

"Oh!" Bianca turned back to her friends "Lena, this is Buffy and Faith"

"Nice to meet you" Lena said politely as she shook their hands.

"Likewise" the slayers replied in unison.

"So what are you doing in LA?" Bianca asked as she released Maggie's hand to wrap an arm comfortingly around her shoulders seemingly sensing her tenseness.

"Business" Lena answered with a small smile as she took in their position "What about you?"

"We live here" Bianca answered quietly "We have for over a year now"

"Oh" Lena nodded slowly "So you two are...Dating?"

"Engaged" Maggie corrected shortly as she tightened her arm around Bianca's waist.

"Wow" Lena's eyes widened in surprise "Well congratulation's I guess"

"Thanks" Maggie said with another fake smile.

"Well I should probably be going" Lena motioned in the direction the four girls' had been heading "I have to walk back to my Hotel so..."

"What hotel are you staying at?" Bianca asked curiously.

"The marriotee" Lena answered.

"That's right next to our place. You're welcome to walk with us if you want" Bianca offered with a smile.

"Some company would be great!" Lena nodded "We can catch up"

"Yeah..." Bianca nodded slowly and untangled herself from Maggie before she began to walk with Lena at her side.

Maggie frowned feeling slightly abandoned as she watched them walk ahead of them.

"Are you guys coming?" Bianca called over her shoulder.

"Yeah, we're coming!" Buffy answered as they began to walk slowly after Bianca and Lena.

"This is great..." Maggie muttered to herself as she walked slowly in between Buffy and Faith "This is just great"

"What do you mean?" Buffy frowned as she looked over at Maggie "Who is she?"

"Bianca's ex girlfriend" Maggie responded darkly.

"Oh..." Faith nodded as if realising something "That's why you didn't seem to like her much"

"Yep" Maggie nodded as she kept her eyes trained on Bianca and Lena "Hey...Is she checking Bianca out?"

"Do you blame her?" Faith laughed "I'm sure I don't have to tell you this Mags but your girl is...Wow"

"Faith!" Maggie narrowed her eyes at the dark haired slayer "Could you not check out my Fiancé, please?"

"Sorry" Faith grinned "But I'm right...Right B?"

"Right" Buffy nodded in agreement.

"Buuuffy!" Maggie whined in annoyance.

"You're adorable when you're jealous" Faith commented quietly.

"I'm not jealous. It's just that..." Maggie trailed off for a moment "What is she doing?"

Buffy and Faith glanced over at Bianca and Lena who were still walking in front of them.

"Um...Nothing?" Buffy offered unsurely.

"She has her hands on my girlfriend" Maggie huffed indicating Lena's hand on Bianca's arm.

"You really don't like this chick do you?" Faith noted slowly.

"No!" Maggie answered darkly "I don't trust her at all"

"She seems harmless enough" Buffy observed thoughtfully "I mean she doesn't seem to be hitting on Bianca at least..."

"I still don't trust her..."

"Trust who?" Faith asked before she could stop herself "That Lena person or Bianca?"

"What is _that _supposed to mean?" Maggie asked in surprise "Of course I trust Bianca!"

"I'm just saying" Faith shrugged apologetically "You seem to be doubting Bianca a lot lately. Maybe part of you doesn't really trust her"

"I'm don't doubt Bianca!" Maggie exclaimed angrily "I doubt _Lena_! Why would she suddenly turn up? How could it be anything other than to steal Bianca from me?! I thought you of all people would be on my side through this Faith..."

"I'm sorry" Faith wavered slightly at the hurt audible in Maggie's voice "Of course I'm on your side. I can totally hate her if you want me to"

"It's okay" Maggie smiled slightly at the slayer's offer as her anger faded "I guess those dreams are just freaking me out"

"Dreams?!" Buffy's attention was instantly caught at the mention of dreams "What dreams?! Bad dreams? Dreams as in dreams that aren't just dreams?!"

"B?" Faith moved to Buffy's side and took her hand comfortingly "Chill out...They're just dreams. Right, Maggie?" she looked over at Maggie who was watching them guiltily.

"Right" Maggie nodded slowly "Sorry Buff...I didn't mean to freak you out"

"Its okay" Buffy sighed softly "I just..." she looked at Faith sadly and shook her head "Never mind. It doesn't matter"

"Buffy..." Faith wrapped an arm comfortingly around the other slayer's shoulders and pulled her close "We'll talk when we get home okay?"

"Right..." Buffy nodded slowly and they continued walking home.

---

"Are we going to talk about this?" Faith asked quietly as she sat on the couch next to her tense girlfriend "B?"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Buffy looked up and Faith almost winced at the guilt in the blonde's eyes.

"I think that we have to if we're going t get past this" Faith answered cautiously "I mean...You do want to get past this don't you? You want to be with me?"

"Of course I do" Buffy nodded quickly "I _really_ want to be with you Faith..."

"Okay" Faith nodded continued with a small smile "That's good...Because I really want to be with you too but you have to stop feeling guilty B. If you dwell on what you did we won't get anywhere"

"Are you serious?!" Buffy asked in surprise "You...You want me to forget about what I did? About how much I hurt you?"

"Um...Yeah?"

"Why aren't you mad at me?!" Buffy frowned as she reached out and squeezed Faith's hand "You should I don't know...yell at me or something!"

"I'm not going to yell at you" Faith smiled weakly "I'm not even mad at you anymore. I don't think I ever was...Heartbroken, confused...Yes. But I don't think I was angry at you"

"I deserve it!" Buffy persisted quietly "I deserve for you to be mad at me Faith. I _need _you to..."

"You left me" Faith's eyes dropped to their joined hands "And you didn't tell me why...I thought I had done something wrong or something. I was a mess and then when I saw you at that bar with somebody else...It all got so much worse. I was on a path of self destruction" she looked up into Buffy's tear filled eyes "It hurt B. But I was never mad at you."

"You should be" Buffy sniffled softly.

"But I'm not!" Faith moved closer to the other girl on the couch "You need to stop feeling guilty about this"

"But you don't trust me anymore" Buffy said miserably as tears tracked their way down her cheeks "And that's _my_ fault!"

"I didn't say I didn't trust you" Faith moved a hand to Buffy's cheek and wiped her tears away gently "I do trust you. I just want to get over this and get back to normal with you"

"But...How can you still love me after what I did?" Buffy asked quietly "How can things ever be the same?"

"I still love you more than anything in the world B" Faith replied, tearing up slightly herself "Nothing could ever change that" she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Buffy's lips. She lingered for a long moment before Buffy responded slowly and wrapped her arms around her.

"See?" Faith asked slightly breathless as they pulled away "Nothing at all has changed. I still love you"

"Really?"Buffy smiled as she wiped her tears away.

"Really" Faith confirmed her statement with another soft kiss.

"I love you too" Buffy responded softly "And I really am sorry that I hurt you..."

"I know" Faith interrupted "You don't have to keep apologising"

Buffy pulled Faith close and kissed her passionately, allowing her hands to tangle in soft dark hair. She smiled in contentment when they pulled away "God, I missed kissing you"

"Back at you" Faith smiled as she sunk into Buffy's embrace on the couch. They fell silent for a few minutes before she spoke up again "Hey B?"

"Yeah?" Buffy shifted slightly to look at the younger girl.

"Since we're being honest and clearing the air..." Faith began hesitantly "I have something to tell you..."

"What is it?"

"I think I'm sick" Faith answered softly.

"Sick?!" Buffy frowned and lifted a hand to her girlfriend's forehead obviously seeking a temperature "Sick How? What's wrong?"

Faith couldn't help but smile at the concern from the other girl "It started before you um...went away. A week or so before maybe?"

"What happened?" Buffy gazed at Faith in genuine worry.

"I started to have dizzy spells" Faith explained quietly "Or I'd start to hurt everywhere and I'd be close to passing out from the pain. That's what happened at the cemetery. I was dizzy and I couldn't see. That's how the vampire overpowered me. And now it's all getting worse...I keep feeling sick, Get major migraines, Feeling Dizzy and I keep passing out..."

"And you didn't tell me?" Buffy asked in alarm "There could be something really wrong with you Faith!"

"I didn't want to worry you..." Faith bit her lip guiltily "Maggie says that I should go to see a doctor"

Buffy sighed softly and leaned her head against Faith's "We're going first thing tomorrow okay? There's no way in hell I'm going to risk losing you"

Faith shifted slightly and smiled up at Buffy "I'm sure it'll be fine" she leaned up and kissed the other girl slowly before pulling back by a fraction of an inch.

"Where are you going?" Buffy complained with a pout before she pulled Faith back to her and returned the kiss.

"We..." Faith corrected with a grin "Are going upstairs"

"Hmnm..." Buffy hummed in contentment as Faith pressed their lips together gently "I won't complain about that" she allowed the younger girl to pull her up off the couch without breaking the loving kiss.

---

"You're tense" Bianca said quietly into the silence as she shifted uncomfortably in the bed.

"How would you know that?" Maggie responded just as softly "You're practically on the edge of the bed!"

"I thought...I thought that you wanted some space" Bianca said haltingly "I mean I just got the feeling that you were a bit mad at me"

"I'm not mad at you" Maggie sighed and moved closer to Bianca wrapping an arm around her waist "I'm sorry Binks...I'm just thinking" they fell back into silence as Maggie attempted to gather the courage to ask Bianca the question which had been bothering her for over a week "Um...Bianca?"

"Hmmn?" Bianca hummed in response.

"Do you ever think about Frankie?" The older girl blurted out causing Bianca to start slightly in surprise.

"Uh...Sometimes, I guess" Bianca turned onto her side to look at Maggie "Is this what's wrong with you? The dreams? You're thinking about Frankie?"

"Kind of" Maggie nodded slowly "I'm just...These dreams I keep having are really freaking me out"

"Why?" Bianca asked in confusion "What's in your dreams?"

Maggie stayed silent for a moment before she spoke up "Do you ever think about Frankie? Y'know...Instead of me? Just in general or even when we're erm..."

"What?!" Bianca frowned as she sat up slightly in shock "No! Of course I don't! Why would I think about her when I'm with you? I love you and Only you Maggie Stone...You know that! I've never thought of you as Frankie?"

"Not even when you tried to kiss me?" Maggie asked slowly as she sat up next to the younger girl "The first time?"

"Not even then" Bianca said honestly "I've always loved you for you Maggie...Not because you look like Frankie. I don't understand where this is coming from"

"Dreams" Maggie sighed sadly "It's just a reoccurring dream Binks..."

"Maggie..." Bianca placed her hand under Maggie's chin and pushed up slightly to meet her eyes "You know that I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anybody else. Would I be willing to Marry you otherwise?"

"I suppose not" Maggie offered up a small smile "I love you Binks" she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Bianca's lips "I'm sorry...It's not that I don't trust you..."

"It's okay" Bianca soothed as they lay back down in each other's arms "If something's bothering you I want you to know that you can talk to me about it. Even something like this"

"Thanks Binks" Maggie smiled softly.

"And just so you know..." Bianca whispered as she leaned close "You're all I ever think about. Especially when we're...Y'know" she grinned at Maggie's blush and kissed her gently.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews guys! I really really appreciate them :) Hope y'all enjoy this chapter...**

Chapter 9

"See?" Faith questioned triumphantly as she entered the house with Buffy at her side "There's nothing wrong with me...Even the doctors say that they can't find anything"

"Yeah" Buffy nodded as she pulled off her jacket "They said that they can't _find_ anything not that there's nothing wrong with you. They still have to run more tests remember?"

"You worry too much" Faith smiled as she pulled the blonde close and kissed her softly.

"I have good reason to worry" Buffy stated as they began to walk slowly towards the living room "There has to be something wrong with you or you wouldn't be so sick and in pain"

"You have a point" Faith sighed in frustration "I hate not knowing what's going on"

"Me too" Buffy said in agreement "I...What the hell is that?!" she asked incredulously when they entered the living room.

"Hey!" Bianca smiled as she turned around from the painting in front of her to look at the two slayers "How did the doctor's appointment go?"

"It was okay" Buffy said her eyes still on the perplexing painting "But I repeat: 'What the hell is that?'"

"This?" Bianca motioned towards the painting "Is Portia"

"Portia?" Faith laughed "She looks like a Demi-God!"

"Hey!" Bianca exclaimed defensively "This painting is valuable!"

"To a cult" Buffy cringed as she sat down on the couch pulling Faith down with her "When did it get here? And how? Maybe it's cursed or something...It might have links to black magic"

"It does not" Bianca rolled her eyes in amusement "It's just a painting. That's all. I've had it for years..."

"It's creepy" Buffy noted as she glanced at Faith who was studying the painting with interest, her head tilted to the side slightly in curiosity. The older slayer couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips at the cute view.

"It's...Quite funny" Faith chuckled at the picture "We should hang it up"

"We should not!" Buffy visibly shuddered at the thought "It'll scare me half to death!"

"You're a slayer" Bianca pointed out in disbelief "And you're scared of a painting?"

"Yes!" Buffy nodded quickly "It's disturbing..."

"Right" Bianca laughed out loud at her friend "That doesn't really make sense but never-mind. I'm used to your weirdness by now"

"That's my girl!" Faith Grinned as she pulled Buffy close and dropped a soft kiss on her head "Keep her..." she was cut off by the slam of a door and Maggie racing into the room.

"Hey Maggie..." Bianca barely had the words out of her mouth before she found herself in a huge hug which almost lifted her off the ground "Wow...Somebody's happy today!"

"I passed!" Maggie beamed practically jumping up and down with excitement as she pulled away. She leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Bianca's lips "I actually passed!"

"You passed?" Buffy asked incredulously, fully aware of the fact that Maggie wouldn't be this happy with just a 'Pass'.

"Okay" Maggie grinned "I got an 'A Plus'! Top of my class!" she jumped onto the couch in between Buffy and Faith and hugged them tightly.

"Well we knew you would!" Bianca smiled "You were the only one of us having doubts"

Buffy and Faith nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, well..." Maggie shrugged and blushed.

"Told you you'd get top marks!" Faith exclaimed as she nudged the younger girl gently.

Maggie smiled and glanced up. Her smile faded however when her gaze fell on the painting behind Bianca "Oh My God...What is _she_ doing here?"

"I had her shipped from Paris" Bianca explained brightly "It cost a small fortune but I can afford it so..."

"It isn't staying in the house, is it?" Maggie asked cautiously.

"Why not?" Bianca grinned at Maggie's dislike for the painting.

"It freaks me out" Maggie exclaimed shooting a disturbed look at the picture "It's just...Weird"

"Agreed" Buffy spoke up.

"See?"Maggie looked back at Bianca "I told you that painting was weird"

"Fine" Bianca pouted "I'll hang her up at work or something" she glanced sadly at the painting before looking back to Maggie.

"Binks..." Maggie sighed at the look fully aware of the fact that she was powerless to resist it "Fine. You can leave it in the house" she was instantly rewarded with a full blown grin.

"Great!"

"Whipped" Faith coughed discreetly.

"Shut up" Maggie nudged the slayer playfully before her gaze feel back on Bianca "Wow..." she stood up and moved slowly towards the younger girl "Why are you so dressed up?"

"Uh...I kind of have to go out" Bianca answered hesitantly.

"Where to?" Maggie enquired curiously as she noticed Bianca's obvious nervousness "I thought you didn't have work today. You said it was your day off remember?"

"I don't have work" Bianca looked away awkwardly, refusing to meet Maggie's eyes "I just have to go out..." she glanced at Faith intent on changing the subject "So how did the appointment go?"

"Uh..." Faith glanced between a confused and hurt looking Maggie and a guilty looking Bianca "The doctor said she can't find anything wrong with me so...I'm fine"

"No you're not" Maggie argued as she looked back at her "Just because they can't find the cause doesn't mean that you don't have the symptoms anymore"

Faith shrugged "Well Nobody seems to know what's wrong with me"

"I'm just going to go..." Bianca said quietly as she began to inch toward Maggie.

"Wait...Where are you going?" Maggie asked in response.

"Out" Bianca answered.

"Yeah...But _where_?" Maggie frowned at her fiancé's unwillingness to answer the question.

"I'm going out with...Lena" Bianca responded tentatively.

"Lena" Maggie repeated her expression darkening "Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?"

"Because..." Bianca glanced at the clock "Look Mags, I have to go. We'll talk about this when I get back okay?"

"Whatever" Maggie sighed gloomily and looked down at the floor.

"Maggie, C'mon..." Bianca stepped forward and placed her hand gently under the older girl's chin to meet her eyes "It's not how it sounds at all. And you won't even notice that I'm gone"

Maggie shrugged silently causing Bianca to release a sad sigh. She leaned forward slightly and placed a soft lingering kiss on Maggie's lips. Despite her hurt Maggie responded almost immediately.

"I'll see you later" Bianca said when she pulled back "I love you"

"I love you too" Maggie whispered glumly.

Bianca pressed a quick kiss to the top of her girlfriend's head before she began to walk out of the room. She offered Buffy and Faith a quick smile "Bye Guys"

"Bye" Buffy and Faith responded in unison. A moment later Bianca walked out of the room and the front door closed audibly.

Maggie huffed and slumped down on the couch in between Buffy and Faith "Bitch..."

"Huh?" Buffy exclaimed as she and Faith stared at Maggie in stunned disbelief "Did you just call Bianca a..."

"No!" Maggie interrupted wide eyed "No...I was talking about Lena!"

"Oh...Good" Faith said in relief "So...Why is Lena a bitch?"

"She's trying to steal Bianca from me" Maggie muttered miserably "So that makes her a bitch"

"What makes you think that she's trying to?" Buffy questioned reasonably "Maybe they're just going out to catch up...as friends"

"If that was the case..." Maggie spoke quietly "Why would Bianca not want to tell me where she was going? Why would she try to hide it from me?!"

"Maggie c'mon" Faith turned slightly in her seat to look at her upset friend "You're crazy if you think Bianca would leave you. She _loves_ you!"

"Yeah..." Maggie's voice dropped slightly and her expression turned pained "She did before too"

"What?" Faith frowned in confusion "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing" Maggie shrugged and stood up from the couch "I'm just going to go and do some work..."

"Maggie?" Faith too stood up when she noticed tears in the brunette's eyes "What's going on? There's more to this than you're telling us"

"I just need some time alone" Maggie sniffled softly "I'll be okay..." with that said she turned and left the room, practically sprinting from the room.

"Should we be worried?" Buffy asked unsurely.

"I don't know...But I am" indeed Faith was still gazing at the doorway through which Maggie had fled in concern "There's something really wrong with her B. The look in her eyes..." she turned her gaze to Buffy "She was hurting. Really hurting. Like this is some old wound which she's still insecure about. Do you think I should go after her?"

"No" Buffy answered instantly "You heard her...She needs some time alone. Maybe you should give her that"

Faith reluctantly sat down on the couch next to Buffy and leaned into her embrace.

"I officially hate this Lena person" she grumbled

"Why?"

"I'd hate anyone who comes between Bianca and Maggie and makes Maggie feel like that" Faith answered simply.

Buffy couldn't help but agree.

---

"Hey" Bianca said hesitantly as she entered the bedroom she shared with Maggie a couple of hours later. Faith had informed her in concern that there was something wrong with Maggie and this only fuelled Bianca's earlier worry. She bit her lip when she spotted Maggie sitting on the bed with her laptop open in front of her.

"How was your date?" Maggie asked dryly her voice obviously hoarse from crying. She coughed slightly to clear her throat, refusing to look up at her fiancé.

"It wasn't a date" Bianca answered as she took a step forward, clearly confused "Is there something wrong Maggie? You know you can tell me..."

"Yeah actually there is" Maggie finally looked up from her laptop and Bianca almost flinched at the pain in her eyes "Why were you trying to avoid telling me that you were going out with Lena?"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to upset you" Bianca responded surely "I know that you don't like her"

"Yeah, for good reason!" Maggie snapped as she slammed her laptop shut in pure frustration.

"What?" Bianca looked perplexed at the statement "What reason? You think that she wants to get back together with me? That she wants to pull me away from you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time!" Maggie stated tearfully. She mentally kicked herself when she realised what she had said.

"What?" Bianca repeated in surprise. At the sight of Maggie's tears she moved forward and tentatively sat on the bed next to her "What do you mean Maggie? When did she pull me away from you?"

"It doesn't matter" Maggie sniffled.

"No, it does!" Bianca reached forward and gently took both of Maggie's hands in her own "Just tell me. I need to know what's upset you so much"

"After we played 'I never' back in PV" Maggie answered tearfully as she looked up into Bianca's dark eyes "I told you that I loved you...That I wanted to kiss you again, remember?"

Bianca paled slightly as she realised where the conversation was heading but nevertheless she squeezed Maggie's hands gently and responded in a whisper "Of course I remember"

"You told me that you still loved Lena...That you were committed to her" Maggie glanced at their entwined hands "She kept you away from me..."

"You pulled away" Bianca muttered in realisation "As soon as I said that I loved Lena you pulled away from me..." a wave of guilt washed over her "I'm so sorry Maggie"

Maggie shrugged though tears were still tracking down her cheeks "It's not your fault. It just hurt for a long time that you had chosen her over me even though I had never wanted anything more than I wanted to be with you...I was just thinking that you obviously felt something for her that you didn't feel for me so..." she trailed off with a soft sob.

"Oh, Maggie..." Bianca pulled a hand away from Maggie's grasp and raised it to her cheek "I didn't know you felt like that..." she pulled the sobbing brunette forward into a loving embrace and held onto her as tightly as possible "I'm sorry" after a moment the soft sobs lessened and Bianca pulled away by a fraction to look into her girlfriend's eyes.

"Listen to me Maggie..." she spoke in a whisper as she tenderly wiped tears from Maggie's cheeks and gazed intently into her eyes "I never felt anything for her that I didn't feel for you. I feel so much more for you than I ever have for Lena. I love you with everything I am. There is no way I would ever leave you, Okay?"

"Okay" Maggie nodded slowly.

"I didn't know that had affected you so much" Bianca said guiltily "That it had made you feel like that. I've _always_ wanted to be with you Maggie...I was just scared"

"It's okay" Maggie raised her free hand and caught Bianca's on her cheeks "Just...Promise you'll never leave me?"

"I'll never leave you" Bianca swore sincerely, her heart breaking at the insecurity in Maggie's voice "I promise. You're all I'll ever want or need" she leaned forward and confirmed her words with a breathtaking kiss. After a moment she pulled back and looked at Maggie "Nothing could ever change that. Not Lena, not anyone..."

"Okay" Maggie nodded with a small smile.

Bianca released Maggie's hand and crawled further onto the bed to sit right next to her. Maggie instantly leaned into her and Bianca wrapped her arm around the older girl's shoulders.

"I'll kick her ass" Maggie said quietly against Bianca's shoulder.

"What?" Bianca questioned in amusement.

"Lena...If she tries to take you away from me or come between us" Maggie explained "I'll kick her ass. I'm not just going to let her try to pull you away from me. I'm going to fight for you"

"Okay" Bianca laughed softly "But there's really no need because I'm not going anywhere"

"I know" Maggie pulled back and smiled at Bianca "I'm sorry for doubting you"

"It's okay" Bianca shrugged

"I just don't want to lose you...Ever" Maggie said honestly before she pulled Bianca close and kissed her passionately.

"You won't" Bianca murmured against Maggie's lips before she returned to the fervent kiss.

"This is convenient" Maggie giggled as she clutched Bianca's shirt gently and guided her slowly backwards on the bed.

"Yeah" Bianca smiled as she found herself lying on the bed "I guess it is" she pulled Maggie close, closing the tiny distance between them and their lips collided in a soft kiss. After a moment she wrapped an arm securely around Maggie's waist and flipped them over gently. She grinned down at a slightly surprised looking Maggie "What?"

"Nothing" Maggie released a soft laugh before she leaned up and kissed the other girl firmly, threading her hands through impossibly soft dark locks. She sighed in contentment when Bianca averted her hand to the buttons of her shirt and began to undo them slowly. After a moment she noticed the younger girl fumbling and pulled back.

"Bianca?" she raised her eyebrows in question.

"Damn button won't undo" Bianca huffed complete with an irritated pout as she tried to loosen the offending button. She looked at Maggie hopefully "Hey do you mind if I..."

"As sexy as that would be you're not ripping this shirt" Maggie grinned "It cost a fortune...I'll let you do it tomorrow though"

"It won't come off!" Bianca whined as she continued to struggle with the button. After a moment it loosened and she grinned in triumph "A-ha!"

Maggie laughed at Bianca's ecstatic grin and sat up slightly to pull her shirt off seductively slowly and toss it across the room. As soon as the shirt left her fingertips her lips were captured in a passionate kiss and she fell back onto the bed.

"BIANCA! MAGGIE!" Buffy's voice sounded.

Bianca and pulled away from the kiss and groaned "Damn it..."

"WE'RE BUSY!" Maggie yelled back before she reclaimed Bianca's lips with her own.

"IT'S IMPORTANT!" Buffy called back.

Bianca reluctantly pulled away and released a heavy sigh "I suppose we should..."

"Yeah..." Maggie agreed unhappily as they stood up from the bed and she took Bianca's hand "Come on..."

---

"Well it's obvious what you two were 'busy' doing" Faith grinned as Bianca and Maggie walked into the living room and she noticed their dishelved appearance as well as the fact that Maggie was only wearing a tank top.

"Shut up" Maggie muttered as she and Bianca sat down on the couch across from Buffy and Faith "So what was so important that you had to interrupt us"

"That would be my fault" Willow's voice sounded as she walked from the kitchen into the living room "Hi by the way"

"Hey" Bianca and Maggie responded in unison.

"We have a problem" Willow stated as she crossed her arms in front of her chest "There's a new 'big bad' about and he's after you"

"So what's his M.O?" Buffy questioned as she leaned forward and looked at her friend in concern.

Willow shrugged "All we know is that he makes your fears come to life...In dreams and reality. He's been known for looking into scary movies people are afraid of and using them against them"

"Movies?" Faith asked in disbelief "You have got to be kidding me!"

Bianca swallowed heavily and locked eyes with Willow.

"Is something wrong?" Willow frowned in concern.

"The movie I'm most afraid of is _Chucky!_" Bianca said in a high, shaky voice.

Faith promptly burst out laughing unable to control herself any longer.

"Faith!" Willow reprimanded in annoyance.

"Sorry" Faith gasped for air through her laughter "You're telling me that pretty soon we're going to have to watch out for killer dolls? That they're going to be coming after us while we sleep?!" she glanced at Buffy who was trying to suppress a grin "You have to be kidding me! Is the tooth Fairy going to be after us too?! Maybe the witch from the wizard of oz?" her response caused Buffy, Bianca and Maggie to burst into giggles.

"Fine" Willow huffed "I just came by to warn you...And you should probably remember that the guy brings _real_ fears to life" she stormed from the house.

"I think we upset her" Buffy said as she looked after Willow.

"It's a bit absurd though B!" Faith stated "Come on...Killer dolls coming to life?"

"I guess..." Buffy frowned "But didn't she also say something about real fears? Maybe that's what's been going on with our dreams" she glanced at Maggie.

"Maybe" Maggie nodded thoughtfully "Mine have stopped now though..."

"Mine too" Buffy agreed before she glanced at Faith who was frowning contemplatively. She leaned close to her and dropped her voice to a whisper "Hey, are you okay?"

"I just hope it's not true" Faith said in a soft voice "My fears are really not something I want to deal with right now...or ever"

"Okay" Buffy responded quietly as she pressed a soft kiss to Faith's cheek deciding to raise the issue later. She glanced over at Bianca and Maggie who seemed to have shifted even closer on the couch.

"What is with you two?" she asked in disbelief "It's like you can't keep your hands off each other"

"That's right" Bianca nodded before she leaned in and whispered something in Maggie's ear causing her to blush brightly.

"I don't even want to know what you just said" Faith grinned at them before she focused on Maggie in an attempt to change the conversation "So Maggie...How was your test? Easy?"

"Yeah" Maggie nodded distractedly "Just a lot of Lab work and stuff. You'd think I want to be a lab tech with the stuff they test me on"

"Hmmn..." Buffy nodded slowly "I can't really imagine you walking round in a lab coat"

Faith narrowed her eyes at Bianca who had turned to look at Maggie contemplatively. After a moment a bright blush coloured Bianca's cheeks.

"Are those impure thoughts Bianca?" the dark haired slayer grinned "When B said Lab coat she meant with clothes underneath"

"Uh-huh"

Maggie glanced at Bianca and grinned shyly "Nothing but a lab coat huh?"

"We're going!" Bianca announced as she stood up from the couch and moved towards the door pulling Maggie with her "Don't disturb us until tomorrow around noon"

"But it's only 5:00 pm!" Faith said as she watched them leave. She shook her head and glanced at Buffy "Kids..."

---

"Whoa!" Maggie gasped as she was pulled into the bedroom "You're in a hurry..."

Bianca kicked the door shut and pulled Maggie into a passionate kiss "Are you telling me you're not?"

"No, Not at all" Maggie laughed before she returned the kiss.

"Now..." Bianca smiled as she pulled back and slowly pulled the tank top up and over Maggie's head "Where were we?" she bit her lip innocently.

"I believe we were about..." Maggie pressed her lips to Bianca's and rested her hands on the younger girl's waist, slowly walking backwards to the bed "Here" she felt her knees buckle and allowed herself to fall backwards onto the bed pulling Bianca with her.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys thanks for your awesome reviews! I'm sure you all know by now how much I appreciate them. Here's an extra long chapter for Xmas! Happy holidays :) Hope y'all enjoy the chapter...**

Chapter 10

Bianca frowned as she glanced past Maggie towards Buffy and Faith who were walking silently through the dark cemetery. The tense silence and distance between them was painstakingly obvious "Have you two been arguing again?"

"We weren't arguing" Faith answered shortly "It was just a minor disagreement. That's all"

"Yeah, right" Buffy rolled her eyes at Faith's explanation "A minor disagreement about something that could potentially kill you!"

"Buffy would you cut it out?!" Faith ground to a halt and turned to glare at Buffy who had stopped at the same time "For God sake you're being really overdramatic!"

"Overdramatic?!" Buffy scoffed angrily "I'm not being overdramatic. You're just trying to make this look a hell of a lot less serious than it is!"

"It isn't serious" Faith countered loudly "I'll get over it eventually"

"Oops" Bianca muttered guiltily as she exchanged a worried look with Maggie.

"It isn't SERIOUS?!" Buffy yelled in disbelief as she took a step closer to her slaying counterpart "You could DIE Faith! Don't you get that?!"

"I understand _Die_ perfectly well Buffy!"Faith growled out "I'm not entirely stupid you know"

"Yeah well you seem to be lacking in common sense!" Buffy replied without thinking "And you don't really seem to _care_ about getting better"

"What?!" Faith questioned incredulously "So just because I don't want a bunch of doctors prodding me like a damn lab rat I want to die?!"

"It seems that way! All I said was that you should get a second opinion"

"And _I_ said I don't want to!" Faith countered stubbornly "It'll just pass eventually and if you would stop your bloody fretting you would be able to see that too!"

"Fine!" Buffy exclaimed loudly, frustration clear in her voice "You want me to stop worrying about you? Fine just go ahead and do what you want. See if I care!" with that said the blonde stormed ahead of them muttering angrily to herself.

"Damn it..." Faith sighed before she glanced at Bianca and Maggie noticing their confused yet disapproving expressions "What?! That was not my fault!"

"It kind of was" Maggie shrugged apologetically "You know that she's only worried about you...You shouldn't have yelled at her for that"

"You're probably right..." Faith frowned as she glanced at Buffy guiltily "I'm such an idiot!"

"So you refused to go and see a doctor?"Bianca asked in concern "Even though you keep...Passing out and stuff?"

"Doctors make me nervous" Faith admitted with a shrug "Bad past experiences"

"Has it happened again?" Maggie asked cautiously "The pain, passing out, sickness...?"

"It's not as bad" Faith responded slowly as she looked to where Buffy was furiously fighting a vampire "There is still some pain...Headaches and Nausea but..." she hesitated for a moment and looked to her friends "I haven't told B this yet but I don't think it's getting any better"

"You need to tell her" Maggie stated strongly "You can't keep this from her Faith"

"I know" Faith sighed sadly "But I think I've upset her now...I don't know if she'll even talk to me right now"

"Then go and apologise" Bianca suggested gently "It's not like she's going to yell at you"

"But..." Faith glanced unsurely between Buffy and Bianca and Maggie.

"We'll be fine" Maggie said sensing her hesitation "Now go get your girl!"

"Fine" Faith smiled "But if anything happens yell okay?"

"Yeah, Yeah" Maggie rolled her eyes at the slayer's concern.

"I mean it!" Faith called before she turned and walked away. She took a deep breath before moving to stand at Buffy's side "B?"

"Busy" Buffy muttered as she spun and staked the last remaining vampire. She glanced at Faith after a moment "So you've finally decided that you want to talk to me?"

"I'm sorry" Faith attempted guiltily "I shouldn't have yelled at you back there just because you were worried about me"

"It's fine" Buffy shrugged though the hurt in her tone was obvious "Why would it be any of my business? I mean I'm only your girlfriend after all..."

"It's not like that" Faith said softly as she reached forward and took Buffy's hand "What's going on with me is your business"

"Well it doesn't seem like it" Buffy shrugged and pulled her hand away from Faith's gentle grip "If it was maybe you would actually listen to me!"

"Buffy..."

"Or" Buffy continued quickly "Maybe you just don't trust me anymore. Not that I blame you at all..."

"Uh-oh" Faith mumbled as she began to sway unsteadily on the spot.

"Uh-oh?!" Buffy asked incredulously "What do you mean by uh-oh?"

"B, I know you're mad at me" Faith said shakily "But I don't feel too good right now and I need you to..." she stumbled forward slightly and Buffy quickly reached out to steady her.

"Whoa!" Buffy exclaimed as she wrapped an arm around the dark haired girl's waist "Faith? Are you okay?"

"No" Faith responded slowly "There's a...OW!"

"Faith?!" Buffy questioned in panic "What is it?! What hurts?"

"My head" Faith groaned through gritted teeth "It feels like a...OW!" she tensed in Buffy's arms.

"Your bleeding" Buffy said as she moved her hand to the blood streaming from Faith's nose and gently wiped it away "Faith?"

"Shit" Faith cursed her breath coming in short heavy gasps as she clutched Buffy's jacket with all of her strength in an attempt to push back the pain "This really hur..." she trailed off as she released a pained whimper "Oh My God it's getting worse..."

"Breathe through it" Buffy instructed gently as she moved her hand to rest on Faith's heaving chest "You're going to pass out if you don't calm down Honey. Your heart is beating way too fast...Just breathe with me okay?"

"I think I'm gonna pass out anyway!" Faith said woozily through the pain "Everything's dark and spinny B..."

"No, hang in there Faithy!" Buffy stated in worry "Come on...Look into my eyes" she felt a wave of relief when Faith looked up into her eyes "Fight through the darkness. I know you can"

"I can't!" Faith once again tensed in pain "It hurts too much B! I think I'm going to..."

"Damn it!" Buffy exclaimed as the younger girl's eyes slid shut and she slumped forward into her open arms "Faith!" she lowered her gently to the ground and placed a hand on her slightly blood streaked cheek "Come on...Wake up Faithy!"

"Buffy!" Maggie's voice sounded. Buffy looked up to see Bianca and Maggie rushing towards her, worry clear on their expressions "What happened?"

"I don't know..." Buffy answered shakily as she tightened her grip on her unconscious girlfriend "She was in pain and she just collapsed"

"She's bleeding..." Maggie frowned as she knelt down next to the slayer noticing the blood on her face. She gently took the older girl's hand and placed two fingers on her pulse point "Buffy?"

"What?!" Buffy looked alarmed at the scared look on Maggie's face "What is it Maggie?!"

"Her pulse is too slow" Maggie informed her quietly "You have to take her to a hospital"

"A..." Buffy looked down at the girl in her arms for a prolonged moment before she turned her gaze back to Maggie "No. No hospitals"

"What?!" Maggie exclaimed in disbelief "Are you insane Buffy?! She could die!"

"No hospitals" Buffy repeated before she tentatively gathered her girlfriend in her arms and stood up slowly in an attempt to prevent further pain.

"But..." Maggie trailed off as Buffy began to walk away. She sighed and stood up from the ground.

"There's no point in arguing with Buffy when she's made her mind up" Bianca said sadly as she took Maggie's hand and they began to walk after the blonde slayer.

---

"You'll be okay" Buffy whispered tearfully as she gently moved a strand of hair from Faith's now blood free face "You have to be" she shifted closer to the younger girl on the bed and ran a finger lightly down her cheek "I still have to apologise for yelling at you tonight. You have to come back to me Faith" she leaned down and pressed a tender, teary kiss to Faith's unmoving lips. She was caught by surprise a mere second later when the other girl responded tentatively.

"Best way to wake up ever" Faith smiled weakly when Buffy pulled away.

"Faith!" Buffy exclaimed "You're awake!" she quickly kissed the older girl for a second time "Don't even think about doing that to me again, got it? You scared me half to death!"

"O..." Faith was cut off when Buffy moved forward and placed a lingering kiss in her lips. Despite her surprise she responded almost immediately and pulled the blonde closer. She only pulled away when she felt tears on her cheeks "B? What is it?"

"Nothing" Buffy said as she tried to wipe her tears away "You just scared me, that's all. I really thought you were going to..." she trailed off unable to finish her sentence.

"Hey c'mon B" Faith painstakingly pushed herself up in the bed "I'm not going anywhere. You know I would never leave you"

"I'm sorry" Buffy stated guiltily "For yelling at you before. I didn't mean to"

"I know" Faith said understandingly "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at you just because you were worrying about me. It really means a lot that you care so much"

"I _am_ worried about you" Buffy exclaimed in a soft voice "I don't understand what's going on with you Faith. This could be really serious"

"I'll go to the doctors again as soon as I can okay?" Faith offered as she reached forward and tentatively took the blonde's hand in her own "But you know if the Doctors can't find anything...This could be something supernatural"

"I know" Buffy nodded and bit her lip thoughtfully "That's what I'm afraid of"

"It'll be okay" Faith said quietly as she shifted closer to Buffy "It's probably nothing really but..."

"But?" Buffy prompted nervously as she squeezed the younger girl's hand gently.

"I don't know..." Faith sighed heavily, her own eyes clouding over in fear "I don't feel myself getting better. In fact I think I'm getting worse"

"Worse?" Buffy questioned in alarm "Worse how?"

"I don't know" Faith shrugged "The pain is worse than it was before and I'm staying unconscious for longer" she glanced down at their joined hands "I'm really scared B. I don't know what's going on with me and...I don't _want_ to die. Not now. A while ago I might not have cared but...I _have_ something to live for now. I have _you_. I have an actual family"

"Hey" Buffy gently placed her hand under Faith's chin and pushed up so their eyes met "You're not going to die, okay? There is no way in hell I'm going to let that happen"

"Okay" Faith whispered before she gently tugged the blonde forward into a soft kiss. After a moment she pulled away and barely managed to constrain a yawn.

"Thanks" Buffy laughed at the other girl "I didn't know my kissing was so boring"

"Ha-ha" Faith smiled sleepily at Buffy "I'm just tired B. Which is weird considering I've been asleep already"

"Go back to sleep" Buffy instructed gently as she carefully pushed the slayer back down on the bed. She tugged the covers over them before she wrapped an arm around Faith's waist "How are you feeling?"

"Sick" Faith sighed softly "I think that's an after affect"

"Can I get you anything?" Buffy asked hopefully as she began to trace small circles on the younger girl's stomach, underneath her shirt "For the sickness?"

"No" Faith murmured contentedly as her eyes slid shut "But you can keep doing that if you want...It feels good. It's kind of making the sickness go away"

"Good" Buffy said quietly as she planted a kiss on Faith's cheek "That's good" after a few minutes she heard the younger girl's breathing even out and finally fell into a deep sleep too.

---

Faith hummed happily to herself as she stepped into her bedroom, wrapped in a fluffy white towel. She smiled when she noticed Buffy was still sleeping and padded over to her as quietly as she could. She leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to the blonde's temple causing her to stir slightly. A drop of water dripped from her hair onto the older girl's cheek causing her to eyes to flutter open "Faith?"

"Sorry B" Faith whispered as she gently wiped the drop away "Go back to sleep" she leaned down even further and kissed Buffy softly.

"M'kay" Buffy muttered sleepily before she snuggled further under the warm blankets and closed her eyes. Faith smiled warmly and stood up straight.

"Okay..." she whispered to herself as she stepped back "Better get ready" she got changed quickly before she moved out of the room with one last glance at Buffy. A quiet shuffle caught her attention and the slayer stopped suddenly in an attempt to identify where it was coming from "Miranda..." she rushed to Miranda's room and sighed in relief when she saw only large innocent eyes gazing back at her.

"'Aith!" Miranda exclaimed happily.

"Hey Kid" Faith smiled as she walked over to gather the young girl in her arms "What do you say we go and watch Saturday morning cartoons?" she emphasised the statement with a small spin which cause Miranda to release a soft giggle "I'll take that as a yes..." with that she walked out of the room and moved stealthily down the stairs making sure to miss the creaky step third from the bottom.

---

Buffy smiled warmly to herself as she stopped in the doorway to the living room her eyes focusing on where Faith sat on the floor in front of the TV with Miranda on her lap. She moved discreetly over to her and knelt down next to her "Hey" she placed a soft kiss on the younger girl's cheek.

"Hey" Faith smiled as she turned her head to kiss Buffy lightly, allowing her lips to linger for a moment "What are you doing up already?"

"I could ask you the same thing" Buffy countered as she glanced at the TV which was playing cartoons "Are the cartoons for your benefit or Miranda's?"

"Probably a little bit of both" Faith laughed sheepishly "You know I can't help but release my inner child now and then"

"And I love that about you" Buffy stated sincerely "It's...Totally adorable" their gazes remained locked intently for a moment before Miranda interrupted them.

"'Uffy!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey Munchkin" Buffy shifted her gaze from Faith to Miranda and ruffled her short hair gently. She earned herself a gummy grin in return before the young girl turned her attention back to the TV. Buffy looked back up at Faith "Coffee?"

"Thanks B" Faith smiled at her girlfriend "You're the best"

"I know" Buffy said exaggeratedly before she leaned forward and kissed the other girl soundly.

"You taste like toothpaste" Faith observed with a grin when they pulled away.

"Right" Buffy laughed at the randomness of the statement.

"Are Bianca and Maggie up?" Faith asked curiously "I haven't seen them this morning"

"I think they'll be getting up any time now" Buffy answered as she stood up "I'm going to go and make that coffee. I'll be back in five"

"Okay" Faith sighed contentedly as she watched Buffy leave the room. A matter of seconds later Bianca stepped into the room looking fully refreshed.

"Faith!" Bianca exclaimed when she noticed her sitting on the ground "You're okay" she moved over to the older girl and slumped down next to her on the ground, pulling her into a half hug "God you have no idea how worried we were"

"I'm fine" Faith smiled when they pulled apart "Just a little headache now. That's all"

"Are you sure?" Bianca asked unsurely "Because last night..."

"I'm okay Bianca. Really" Faith reassured her comfortingly "You don't have to worry about me"

"Don't I?" Bianca asked "Because we are worried about you"

"I know" Faith sighed sadly at the situation "And I appreciate that you care so much. I wish I could say something to make you worry less but I honestly have no idea what's going on with me"

"You need to go and see the doctor again" Bianca advised gently "To see if there's anything medically wrong with you"

"I don't think there is" Faith shrugged "Whatever this thing is, it has to be something supernatural for it to be affecting me this much" at Bianca's alarmed look she quickly continued "I'm sure we'll fix it somehow though. We always do"

"Okay" Bianca smiled weakly though she still looked concerned. Her smile widened slightly when she turned her attention to her daughter "Hey Honey" she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the young girl's head. She laughed when Miranda dodged away from her touch, her gaze focused on the TV "Yeah, Yeah Mommy gets the point. You're busy" Bianca looked up at Faith and smiled gratefully "Thanks for looking after her this morning Faith"

"Anytime" Faith looked down at Miranda and grinned adoringly "You know I love the kid to pieces"

"Yeah" Bianca nodded "I know..." she placed a quick kiss on top of Faith's head and stood up stretching slightly "I'm just going to grab some coffee"

"Okay" Faith smiled at Bianca's affection "Hey, Bianca?"

"Yeah?" Bianca stopped halfway towards the door.

"Where's Maggie? Is she planning on getting up anytime soon?"

"She'll be down in a minute" Bianca answered "And I'm sure she'll be yelling at you for scaring us like that"

"Great" Faith said dryly as she watched Bianca walk from the room "That's just what I need right now" she looked down at Miranda who gazed up at her innocently "Maybe I should think about running while I can huh Munchkin?"

"Faith!" Maggie's voice sounded a moment later causing the slayer to jump slightly "You're up! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" Faith answered as she looked over her shoulder at Maggie.

"Good" Maggie walked over to her and sat next to her wrapping her arms around her in a firm hug "Now I can yell at you for scaring the crap out of us!"

"Did I mention I have a headache?" Faith attempted feebly "Plus you can't yell at me because what happened wasn't my fault. I didn't mean to pass out again"

"I suppose so" Maggie frowned.

"Speaking of headaches" Faith winced as Miranda grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged seemingly bored of the cartoons "Do you mind...?"

"Not at all" Maggie gently untangled Miranda's hand from Faith's hair and picked her up "Come on Munchie"

"I need coffee" Faith stood up and moved towards the kitchen with Maggie right behind her.

"Hey" Buffy smiled when she saw Faith approaching her "I made you some coffee" she offered the mug of coffee to her slaying counterpart who took it gratefully "_and_ here's some aspirin for your headache"

"You're a God send" Faith took the tablets and sighed contentedly "My head is killing me"

"I know" Buffy nodded seriously "Which is why you..." she took Faith's hand and guided her over to the table gently pushing her onto a chair "Should relax"

"Fine" Faith placed her coffee on the table and pulled Buffy onto her lap "As long as you stay with me"

"You've got yourself a deal" Buffy agreed before she leaned forward and caught Faith's lips in a soft kiss. She pulled back and groaned when the doorbell sounded suddenly.

"I'll get it" Bianca spoke up as she stood up and walked out of the kitchen. A matter of minutes later she returned with a worried Dawn and a furious looking Willow at her heels.

"What's going on?" Maggie asked in concern as she shifted Miranda slightly and stood up straight.

"Faith, I need to talk to you" Willow said when she stopped in front of Buffy and Faith "Right now"

"Will, calm down for a minute" Buffy said softly as she stood up "What happened?"

"I don't know" Willow said darkly "Why don't you tell them Faith?"

"I uh...I have no idea what you're talking about Red" Faith stated in surprise.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Willow practically yelled at her causing Buffy to tense.

"Cut it out Willow!" Buffy exclaimed defensively "Stop yelling at her...What the hell's gotten into you?"

"I tried to stop her" Dawn said wringing her hands nervously in front of her "But she's really pissed off"

"Dawnie..." Maggie stepped forward "Do me a favour and Take Miranda Okay?" she handed Miranda to the teenager.

"But Faith..." Dawn took Miranda but appeared hesitant to leave.

"It's okay Dusk" Faith stood up her gaze still focused intently on Willow "I'll be fine. Just go. Miranda doesn't need to be caught in the middle of all of this yelling"

"Okay..." Dawn sighed but obediently left with Miranda.

"What am I supposed to have done than Red?" Faith asked quietly "I'm supposing I've done something since you're here yelling at me"

"What?!" Willow laughed bitterly "You thought you could just go back to your evil ways and I wouldn't notice?"

"Whoa!" Buffy exclaimed as she reached behind her and clutched Faith's hand tightly "What are you talking about Willow? You can't just come out with accusations like that!"

"Where were you last night?" Willow questioned sharply her gaze still focused on Faith who appeared at a loss for words.

"I was...Here" Faith answered in confusion "I wasn't feeling well"

"Right" Willow shook her head "And I'm supposed to believe that?!"

"She was here!" Buffy narrowed her eyes at her friend "What the hell are you doing?!"

"A guy was killed last night not too far from here" Willow continued angrily ignoring Buffy's questioning "He wasn't just killed though. He was murdered with a stake through the heart. A slayer's stake. And hey, it's not like you're a stranger to that kind of lifestyle right? Anyone remember Allan Finch?"

"Willow!" Buffy yelled angrily "That's enough!"

"Is it?!" Willow questioned her gaze narrowing even further "She was evil before so what's to say that she ever really changed? Once a crazed killer always a crazed killer, right?"

"I'm going to give you one last warning and then I'm going to throw you out" the blonde said steadily.

"I didn't kill anyone" Faith said hoarsely "I'm not like that anymore...It was an accident before"

"An accident? Yeah right!" Willow shook her head in dark amusement "I don't believe a word you're saying"

"I didn't do anything!" Faith repeated slightly stronger than before "I was right here with B last night"

"You betrayed us before so what would stop you now? Do you really think I'm going to let you do this twice?" Willows hand twitched slightly at her side, a slight glow emanating from it.

"Don't even think about it!" Buffy stepped even more fully in front of Faith and tensed, her gaze on the redhead "You're not going to touch her Willow. I won't let you. You'll have to go through me first"

"Your emotions are clouding your judgement" Willow muttered stonily "Just look what happened last time Buffy!"

"That wasn't totally her fault!" Buffy countered angrily "And she hasn't done anything. She's innocent so back the hell off!"

"I'm not stupid" Willow turned her glare once again to Faith "I know what you're doing"

"This is ridiculous!" Buffy exclaimed in frustration "She's not doing anything"

"Well it's obvious whose side you're on!" Willow rolled her eyes at the slayer before she turned her gaze to Bianca and Maggie who had walked silently over to them "What about you guys?"

"We're with them" Maggie shrugged as both she and Bianca stood at either side of the brunette slayer "Faith hasn't done anything"

"Bianca" Willow turned her gaze to Bianca and looked at her intently "Are you seriously telling me that you're not the slightest bit uncomfortable that your daughter lives in the same house as a murderer?"

"I would be" Bianca said thoughtfully as she stepped closer to Faith "But there are no murderers in the house so...I'm totally comfortable right now"

"You're all focusing on your emotions instead of listening to your heads!" Willow stated strongly.

"I think you should go" Buffy said quietly "Before you say anything else that you'll regret later"

"I can't leave...Not without showing you that she's still the same homicidal Maniac..."

"You're such a hypocrite!" Buffy finally released Faith's hand and stepped forward into Willow's personal space "She's not the only person in this room who's made a mistake Willow. Do I have to remind you of Warren?!"

"Buffy..." Faith said quietly "Maybe you shouldn't..."

"No!" Buffy continued angrily "You can't just burst in here with all of these accusations, Willow."

"I'm right" Willow said though her voice and posture had weakened "I know I am"

"Get out" Buffy ordered firmly "And don't come back until you're ready to apologise"

"Whatever" Willow turned and stormed quickly from the house leaving the four girls in shocked silence.

"Well..." Maggie started awkwardly "That was...Interesting"

"I..." Faith stepped forward next to Buffy and turned around the face Bianca and Maggie "Thanks for sticking up for me guys. It really means a lot to me"

"Anytime" Bianca answered sincerely "You're family to us and we know that you're not like what she said"

"Right" Faith nodded as her eyes misted slightly "I'm sorry...I have to go" with that she turned and rushed from the room.

"Damn it" Buffy muttered to herself before she glanced at Bianca and Maggie "Thanks for before guys. She really needed to know that you're standing by her"

"Of course we are" Maggie nodded quickly "But maybe you should go after her Buff"

"I know" Buffy nodded "I'm going" she rushed quickly after her girlfriend.

"Any idea what that was about?" Bianca asked curiously "Because I have no idea"

"Not a clue" Maggie shrugged and wrapped an arm around Bianca's waist "I'm sure they'll sort it out though"

---

"Faith" Buffy sighed as she stepped though the open door of the bedroom. Her gaze focused instantly on Faith who was sitting on the bed, refusing to meet her eyes. Buffy moved closer and sat on the bed next to her, taking her hand in her own "Are you okay?"

"Not really" Faith shrugged weakly "I'm just...How could she think that I would do that again B? I thought that I had made it obvious that I've changed"

"I know you've changed" Buffy said softly "I know who you are" she frowned in concern when Faith refused to look up "Hey, c'mon Faith. Look at me?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone" Faith finally looked up and Buffy's heart sunk when she noticed tears in her girlfriend's eyes "I don't want to hurt _you_ again B! But maybe Willow's right about me...Your dream..."

"Was just a dream" Buffy finished for her gently "You're not that person anymore Faith. I know that. You know that. Bianca and Maggie know that"

"They didn't know me before" Faith said sadly "They don't know about all of the crappy stuff I did before"

"They don't care!" Buffy persisted "You're not like that Faith and you haven't done anything at all wrong, okay?"

"Okay" Faith nodded and smiled weakly "Thanks for before B...With Willow. It means a lot that you believe in me"

"Of course I do" Buffy nodded firmly "You've done nothing wrong. I don't know what Willow's problem is but...She'll have to get through me if she wants to yell at you again"

"I love you B" Faith smiled softly as she leaned forward and kissed the blonde tenderly "I love you so much"

"I love you too" Buffy replied just as quietly before she returned the soft caress and pulled Faith closer to her, holding onto her tightly.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

I'm really sorry for the long wait for this update guys. I totally forgot because of Uni interviews and Exams etc...But I'm back on track now!

Thanks so much for all of your awesome reviews! I really appreciate them. Hope you like this chapter (A kind of filler chapter...Mainly Fuffy fluff). More action and drama coming really soon!

Chapter 11

Buffy entered the house and paused for a moment as a distinctive smell hit her. She inhaled deeply before she moved towards the kitchen "Hey, Can I smell..." she suddenly stopped short at the sight that greeted her and blinked in surprise "Faith? What are you...Have I stepped into the twilight zone or something?"

"B!" Faith exclaimed as she looked up at the blonde "You're back" she walked over to Buffy and greeted her with a soft kiss.

"Yeah I am" Buffy stepped away from Faith's dough covered hands and raised an eyebrow at her "What are you doing?"

"I'm baking cookies" Faith responded happily before she whirled around and walked over to the sink.

Buffy watched in confusion as Faith turned the tap on and proceeded to remove the cookie dough from her hands. She glanced around the kitchen only now noticing the trays of cookies littered randomly around "I see that...But _why?"_

Faith shrugged as she turned back around drying her hands on a tea towel "I just felt like baking cookies I guess..."

"But you're _Faith"_ Buffy said with a puzzled expression "You don't bake cookies..."

"And?" Faith grinned as she took Buffy's hands and pulled her close "Maybe I just decided to" she rolled her eyes when Buffy still looked puzzled "C'mon B...It's not that big of a deal" she released on of the older girl's hands and leaned to the left picking up a still slightly warm cookie "See? Try one. It's not poisonous. I promise"

"I don't know..." Buffy looked warily between the cookie and her girlfriend.

"It's chocolate?" Faith stated persuasively.

"How could I possibly resist that?" Buffy grinned jokingly as she took the offered cookie from her girlfriend. With one last tentative look between it and Faith she took a hesitant bite.

"Well?" Faith asked expectantly as she watched the older girl chewing thoughtfully.

"These actually taste...Amazing" Buffy stated in obvious surprise. She looped her arms around Faith's waist and pulled her close "But I know something that tastes a hell of a lot better"

"Yeah?" Faith grinned "What's that?"

"Well..." Buffy leaned up closing the space between them and pressed her lips gently against the other girls. She pulled back after a moment and smiled warmly "Yeah...Definitely better" she was caught by slight surprise when Faith didn't reply audibly but instead pulled her back into the kiss. She stumbled back slightly from surprise but Faith's arm around her waist held her steady.

"Woah" a voice sounded from the doorway causing Buffy and Faith to pull away from the kiss and glance at the doorway.

"Something in this picture isn't right" Bianca said as she stepped into the room and glanced around sceptically "You guys are making _cookies_? Seriously?"

"I'm not making cookies" Buffy laughed at Bianca's evident disbelief as she moved away from her girlfriend "Faith is making cookies"

"Are you sick?" Bianca asked in mock concern "Maybe you should go and see the doctor _again_. There's clearly something malfunctioning in that head of yours"

"Yeah whatever" Faith grumbled good-naturedly.

"But seriously" Bianca said as she sat at the table and gazed at Faith closely "What's with the sudden domestic attitude?"

Faith shrugged and glanced away "I guess I'm just trying to prove something to myself"

"To yourself?" Bianca echoed knowingly "Or to us?"

"Fine" Faith sighed heavily "Maybe I'm just trying to prove that I'm not some kind of homicidal maniac like Red says. Although she would probably say I'm trying to lull you all into a false sense of security before I decide to kill you all"

"Look, Faith..." Bianca glanced over at Buffy as if requesting permission to continue. At Buffy's wave she looked back at Faith and continued firmly "I trust you. Buffy trusts you. Maggie trusts you...You don't have to prove anything to us"

"So you don't think I'm a 'Homicidal maniac?" Faith asked in disbelief "Not even a little bit? After everything I've done in the past?" at the last statement she looked over at Buffy apprehensively.

"No" Buffy and Bianca answered in unison.

"Why?" Faith questioned in bewilderment.

"Why should we?" Bianca shrugged casually "You haven't done anything to make us think that you would hurt us in any way. You've done exactly the opposite in fact"

"Yeah but..."

"No buts!" Bianca said firmly "I don't care what Willow says. I trust you with my life. But more importantly...I trust you with _their_ lives" she gestured above their heads to upstairs.

Faith nodded slowly "Okay..."

"Right" Bianca smiled as she stood up and hugged Faith quickly "I'm going to leave you guys to whatever it is that you were doing" she fixed Faith with a serious look "And you...stop with the self doubt" with that said she grabbed a cookie and walked out of the room "Wow these are good..."

"She's right you know" Buffy said quietly as she wrapped her arms around Faith's waist.

"About the cookies?" Faith smiled as she placed her hand's atop Buffy's where they rested on her stomach.

"No" Buffy chuckled lightly and pressed a soft kiss to the younger girl's neck "About everything else. About you...Doubting yourself"

"Do you blame me?" Faith sighed quietly "After everything that happened before with me?"

"You're not like that anymore" Buffy answered as she loosened her embrace slightly "I don't care about the past anymore. I care about the present. I don't know what's going on with Willow right now but I know that whatever it is...She's wrong about you"

"Willow's your best friend" Faith said as she turned around in Buffy's loose hold "I can't ask you to take my side against hers B"

"You're not asking" Buffy shrugged "I would take your side over anybody's because...I trust you more than I trust anyone else"

"Really?" Faith asked quietly "Because you have every reason to not trust me..."

"Really" Buffy confirmed sincerely.

"What about your dream?" Faith questioned her expression darkening slightly "What if it actually meant something more than what we thought it did? If I turn again..."

"You are _not_ going to turn!" Buffy stated firmly as she grasped Faith's hands tightly "Don't even think like that Faith. I'm not going to _let_ anything happen to you"

"Okay..." Faith nodded and offered a small smile "If you think so"

"I know so" Buffy grinned lightly at the other girl "And when am I _ever_ wrong anyway?"

"Absolutely never" Faith laughed before she kissed the blonde quickly "Thanks B. It means a lot that you believe in me."

"Of course I do" Buffy said seriously "I trust you completely"

Faith didn't reply for a moment as she gazed closely at her girlfriend "You know I love you right?"

"Of course" Buffy responded in a hushed voice "I love you too" she leaned close and pressed her lips gently against Faith's for a long moment before she pulled away and grinned "Beside's your too cute to be evil"

"I'm what?" Faith narrowed her eyes playfully at the older girl.

"I said..." Buffy casually dipped her finger into a bowl of melted chocolate "You..."

"Don't even think about it Blondie" Faith said as she realised what Buffy was going to do.

Buffy lifted her finger from the bowl and gently tapped Faith's nose leaving chocolate in her wake "Are cute"

"B..." Faith glared half heartedly at the blonde haired slayer as she lifted a hand fully intending to wipe the chocolate away.

"Ah...Let me" Buffy grinned as she caught Faith's hand in her own. She tugged her forward and pressed a kiss to her nose effectively removing all of the chocolate.

"I suppose I can forgive you" Faith smiled dreamily at her girlfriend.

"Really?"

"Um...No!" Faith grinned devilishly and grabbed the can of cream conveniently right next to her "You're gonna get it now Summers!"

"Wh...Faith!" Buffy released a yelp of surprise as a spray of cream rushed her way and she ducked just in time, thanks to her slayer reflexes "Ha! You..." she trailed off as a second spray actually hit her "Oh..."

Faith promptly burst out laughing at Buffy's surprised expression as well as the cream that now covered her face. She sobered slightly when she finally looked up to see Buffy approaching with the bowl of chocolate in her hand "Maybe we should call it even..."

"Absolutely not" Buffy grinned "Two can play at your game Miss Lehane"

"But B...." Faith whined as she stepped back until her back hit the counter "I'm...Sorry?"

"Apology...Not accepted" Buffy smiled as she dipped her finger into the bowl of chocolate and swirled it around slowly.

"Um...I won't do it again?" Faith attempted.

"I sense that's a promise you can't keep" Buffy laughed at her girlfriend's statement. She squinted in mock concentration as she once again lifted her chocolate covered fingertip from the bowl and moved it to Faith's forehead.

"What are you doing?" Faith laughed at Buffy's look of complete concentration as she traced her finger over her forehead.

"There!" Buffy grinned proudly at her artwork and lowered her hand.

"You drew a smiley face didn't you?" Faith smiled knowingly.

"Now you look cuter than you did before!" Buffy stated teasingly.

"Right" Faith was finally able to escape from her entrapment against the counter as Buffy let her guard down slightly "Now you're definitely going to get it!"

"Wha...Faith!" Buffy released a squeak of surprise and rushed out of the room as Faith started towards her again.

"There's no point in running" Faith laughed as she started after her "You know I'm going to catch you!"

"No you're not!" Buffy stated as she leapt over the couch, closely followed by Faith "You're too slow..."

"Slow?!" Faith gasped in mock outrage "I'll show you slow Summers!" she jumped over the table and Buffy squeaked in surprise dodging to the left.

"See?" Buffy asked "Slow"

"Right" Faith grinned before giving chase again.

"Okay...Wait!" Buffy said breathlessly after a couple of minutes "Why don't we both just put our weapons down?" she indicated towards the can of cream in Faith's hand and the chocolate in her own.

"Um...No" Faith responded "I gave you that opportunity before remember? And you insisted on drawing on me"

"But you look Cuuuute!" Buffy stated.

"I look like an idiot" Faith corrected "So it's only fair that..." without warning she lifted the can and sprayed the cream much to Buffy's shock "Ha!" her smile faded slightly when a handful of chocolate sauce flew her way "B!"

"What?!" Buffy asked innocently as she moved forward "You asked for it!" she wrapped her arms around Faith and they tumbled back on the couch together "I win!"

"You have a little bit of cream right..." Faith wiped some cream off Buffy's cheek and chuckled lightly "Actually...Everywhere"

"Back at you" Buffy giggled "I think we need a shower"

"Yeah" Faith nodded In agreement and smiled warmly "This is all your fault you know"

"My fault?!" Buffy echoed "How is this my fault?"

"You started it" Faith pointed out as she pulled Buffy further down on top of her and kissed her lightly.

""You're right" Buffy nodded slowly "Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"We look like idiots" Buffy chuckled at their appearances.

"Yeah we do" Faith beamed before she leaned up and pressed her lips gently against her girlfriend's. Buffy melted into the kiss instantly and threaded her hands through dark locks. They pulled back after a moment for breath but returned to the kiss just as quickly.

"B..." Faith groaned in disappointment as Buffy pulled away from the kiss "Where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere" Buffy answered as she grabbed Faith's hand and gently pulled her into a sitting position "But this is" without hesitating she pulled Faith's tank top up and over her head tossing it across the room.

"I like the way you think" Faith laughed before she pulled the blonde back into a heated kiss. After a moment however a small thud from across the room caught their attention causing them to pull away from the kiss.

"Shit..." Buffy swore as her eyes fell on what she supposed was a vampire in their house "How the hell..." she scrambled to get off the other girl and stood up in a fighting stance. She frowned as her eyes fell on the knives in the man's hands "Not a vamp..."

"Nope" the man grinned before he moved towards her at lightning speed.

"Whoa!" Buffy quickly dodged the blur that headed her way "He's fast" she leaped back as a knife was swiped at her but the blade caught the back of her hand causing her to yelp in pain.

"B!" Faith exclaimed as she launched a round house kick at the man sending him flying into the wall. He slumped to the floor with a loud resounding thud but stood up just as quickly.

"Damn it" Faith swore as she ducked a swipe from a gleaming knife. She jumped up but just as she did so she was caught by his fist which caused her to stumble backwards into the wall. She watched winded as her approached her "What the..." she frowned in confusion when he seemed to fizzle out before her eyes.

"He didn't go poof" Buffy noted breathlessly as she lowered the knife to her side "Just...Fizzled out. That was kind of disappointing"

"You're hurt" Faith stepped forward and took Buffy's injured hand gently in her own "And it's kind of deep"

"I'm fine" Buffy smiled warmly at Faith's tenderness.

"What was that?!" Maggie's voice sounded in panic as she rushed into the room with Bianca "What...Um..." she stopped in confusion as her eyes fell on Buffy and Faith "What have you two been doing?"

"Nothing" Faith answered innocently.

"Riiight" Bianca grinned "That's why you're half naked and you both have...Cream all over you?"

"Oh..." Faith looked down and blushed when she noticed that she was standing there in just her bra "It's not how it looks..." she ducked behind Buffy.

"Okaaay" Maggie laughed at the two slayers "I don't even want to know what you were doing"

"We need to go in the shower!" Buffy exclaimed as she grabbed Faith's hand and pulled her towards the stairs.

"I made cookies!" Faith called over her shoulder "You should try them!"

"cookies?" Maggie asked in confusion as she looked at Bianca "Has she lost her mind?"

"Don't ask me" Bianca laughed as she looked around at the mess "I have no idea"

---

"B?" Faith mumbled tiredly as she snuggled into Buffy's side in bed later that night "How do you think that guy got into the house?"

"I don't know" Buffy answered quietly as she pressed a soft kiss to Faith's head "Maybe Willow was right..."

"Hmmm..." Faith nodded "Too bad that she's not talking to us right now"

"We'll be fine" Buffy reassured her confidently "We'll work something out tomorrow"

"How's your hand?" Faith asked as she trailed her fingers lightly down Buffy's arm stopping at the older girl's injured hand now covered by a bandage.

"Hurts a little bit" Buffy said sleepily "It'll be okay though...Slayer healing and all"

"Tired?" Faith inquired quietly as she leaned up on her elbow to look down at Buffy.

"Mmm hmm" Buffy nodded slowly "It's been a long day. I really feel like going to sleep right now"

"me too" Faith leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to Buffy's lips "'Night B"

"Night Faith" Buffy smiled contentedly as Faith wrapped her arms around her. Within minutes both slayers had fallen into a deep sleep.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys here's the next chapter. Thanks for all of your reviews...Hope you enjoy this Chapter. To anyone who reads HRI: The next chapter will be up really soon. Sorry for the delay :)**

Chapter 12

"Hey" Buffy looked up and smiled as Faith walked into the living room. It quickly faded when she noticed her girlfriend looked paler than usual and was unsteady on her feet. Just as the brunette stumbled Buffy jumped up and grabbed her arms to steady her "Whoa...Are you okay?"

"I feel sick" Faith muttered in response as Buffy gently guided her to sit on the couch. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her lurching stomach. When she opened them she found herself gazing into Buffy's concerned eyes.

"Are you okay?" Buffy repeated her earlier question in obvious worry as she placed her hand lightly on Faith's forehead "You're warmer than usual"

"I feel really terrible" Faith answered a small whimper escaping her as she snuggled close to the other slayer "I thought it was getting better but...It isn't. It's getting worse"

"I thought you said it went away?" Buffy whispered as she kissed Faith's temple lightly and offered her a reassuring squeeze.

"I thought it did" Faith winced as another wave of nausea washed over her "But it started again...I feel really sick"

"Do you need me to get you some painkillers?" Buffy asked quietly as she moved her hand under the other girl's shirt and caressed her stomach lightly in hopes that it would settle her sickness "Because I can go and get some..."

"No" Faith sighed in contentment at Buffy's actions and leaned back even further "But if you could keep doing that it would be great...It feels better"

"Good" Buffy sighed softly as she hugged the younger girl closer to her, continuing her gentle actions. Faith stiffened for a moment as Buffy's fingers trailed softly over the scar on her stomach and Buffy immediately paused "Does it...Hurt?"

"No" Faith shook her head in response "It just kind of tingles sometimes...Don't worry B. I'm fine" when there was no response from the blonde Faith turned slightly ignoring the pain it caused her "Hey...Don't do that"

"Do what?" Buffy frowned as she snapped out of her thoughts and refocused on Faith's gaze.

"Don't think about it" Faith answered softly as she grasped Buffy's hand on her stomach "About this...It's all in the past"

"Okay..." Buffy nodded and entwined her finger's lightly with Faith's "Sorry"

"It's okay" Faith murmured quietly. She squeezed Buffy's hand gently and they both settled into a comfortable silence.

"Faith?" Buffy questioned in concern when she felt her girlfriend wince against her "Are you sure you don't want me to go and get something for the pain? I..."

"I'm fine" Faith interrupted as she tightened her embrace "I just want to be with you right now...With no interruptions or anything"

"Okay" Buffy sighed and nodded "I just hate to see you in pain like this"

"I know" Faith smiled weakly at the other girl and leant up slightly to place a soft kiss on her lips "And it means the world to me that you care so much"

Buffy returned the smile lovingly and they settled back into their comfortable embrace.

"How's your hand?" Faith whispered suddenly as she ran her fingers lightly down Buffy's arm coming to a stop on the white bandage which was still in place "Has it healed yet?"

"Not yet" Buffy answered thoughtfully "It seems to be taking longer than usual" she continued quickly at Faith's alarmed look "It's okay though...It's probably just because it was deep. It's only been a couple of days since I got it anyway..."

"Does it hurt?" Faith asked quietly as she lifted Buffy's hand gently.

"A little bit" Buffy responded "Not much though"

"Oh" Faith kissed Buffy's bandage covered hand tenderly and smiled at her.

"Better" Buffy whispered before she leaned in and placed a lingering kiss on the dark haired slayer's lips. After a couple of moments they pulled away slightly breathless and beamed at each other before relaxing once again into their embrace.

"Are you feeling any better?" Buffy asked quietly after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah" Faith nodded against Buffy's shoulder "You seem to have that effect on me...Thanks B"

"No problem" Buffy chuckled lightly "Anyway...You're incredibly comfortable" as if to prove her point she snuggled even closer to Faith.

"This is nice" Faith said after a moment as she shifted in Buffy's arms to look at her but made sure not to pull away from the embrace "Just being here with you...No vampires, no interruptions. Just you and me...It's nice"

"Hmnn...I agree" Buffy hummed in agreement. A brief moment passed before Faith sat up slightly and captured Buffy's lips with her own in a slow kiss. Though she was slightly startled at the suddenness of the action Buffy returned the kiss just as tenderly and pressed the other girl gently back onto the couch, trying as hard as she could not to hurt her.

A sudden slam of the front door caused them to pull away quickly.

"Damn it" Faith groaned as she slumped back onto the couch "Why does that always happen?"

Buffy shrugged seemingly as irritated at the interruption as Faith "I guess it's some kind of cosmic rule that our peace and quiet can't last long" she chuckled lightly as Faith pouted in response.

"BUFFY!" Willow's voice sounded loudly. A moment later she walked into the room, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"Uh-oh" Faith muttered under her breath as she scrambled to get up off the couch with Buffy.

"Willow?" Buffy asked in surprise "what are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"You know what's wrong" Willow stated stonily, her gaze focused furiously on the dark haired slayer who shifted uncomfortably under her stare in a very un-Faith like manner.

"You're not seriously on this again are you?" Buffy said in exasperation. She reached out and took Faith's hand comfortingly, pulling her closer to her side.

"Just because I haven't been around for a while doesn't mean that I've gotten over the fact that you're living with a murderer!" Willow answered angrily.

"Willow you're way out of line" Buffy remarked as she glanced at Faith in worry noticing she had yet to say anything. She bit her lip in concern when she noticed her girlfriend was swaying slightly on the spot and looked nauseous "You have no proof...Not that I would believe it for a second anyway"

"I'm right!" Willow insisted heatedly not even seeming to notice Faith's less than healthy condition "You just can't see because you're too EMOTIONALY ATTATCHED TO HER!" by the end of the sentence the redhead was shouting.

"This is ridiculous Red" Faith spoke up tiredly as she gripped Buffy's hand tightly "I haven't killed anybody. I told you that already!"

"And I'm supposed to believe you?!" Willow snapped "After everything that happened last time?" she turned her gaze to Buffy "C'mon Buffy you know I'm right." At Buffy's blank stare she continued "I knew this would happen. As soon as she told you she 'loved' you and finally succeeded in getting into your..."

"Stop _right_ there Red!" Faith's tone had turned icy and she stood up straight fixing the Wiccan with a glare of her own "You can question my decency all you want to but don't _ever_ suggest that what I have with B isn't real. That what we have is some kind of sick lie!"

"What?" Willow smirked "Is that making you mad Faith?" she stepped forward slightly and looked the slayer up and down in a silent challenge "Are you thinking about how good it would feel to kill me right now?"

Buffy gaped at the scene in front of her in horror as she tightened her grip on Faith's increasingly clammy hand. This wasn't her Willow. The person in front of her couldn't be her sweet best friend. It wasn't possible.

"No" Faith answered trying not to look as intimidated as she felt at the dark energy raging from the redhead "I am thinking about how good it would feel to throw you out of my house though"

"Well..." Willow chuckled darkly "You couldn't certainly try it. I can't promise that you would emerge from the experience unharmed though...Maybe missing a couple of important limbs"

"This isn't you" Buffy said quietly as she gazed imploringly at her best friend "You're not _my_ Willow...What have you done with her?"

"You're going crazy in your old age" Willow laughed humourlessly "I'm still the same as before"

"No you're not" Faith replied certainly "The Willow we know would never say anything like that"

"The Willow you know is dead and gone" Willow grinned wickedly "Just me here now"

Buffy and Faith shared worried looks at her statement.

"What have you done with her?" Buffy repeated shakily as she turned her gaze back to Willow "Where is she?"

"I haven't done anything" Willow grinned "When I say dead and gone what I mean is...I've seen the light. Or rather...The dark. I know that to get rid of evil..." she looked pointedly in Faith's direction "I have to become exactly the same"

"I'm not evil" Faith protested shortly.

"Right...Keep telling yourself that" Willow rolled her eyes in annoyance "I really didn't know you were this stupid. I was questioning how you could be with her Buff but then I realised...You've always been more erm...Inclined to evil, haven't you? Spike, Angel..."

"That's enough!" Buffy yelled angrily "Just shut the hell up Willow!"

Bianca and Maggie chose that exact moment to burst into the room, obviously having just returned from wherever they had went this morning. They stopped still and gazed in confusion at the confrontation in front of them.

"Is everything okay?" Maggie asked unsurely, noticing the tension that filled the room.

"Everything's great" Willow smirked, her uncharacteristically cold gaze still trained on Faith "We were just reminiscing about Buffy's history of dating evil"

"I said stop it" Buffy said loudly as she tightened her grip on Faith's hand noticing that it was badly shaking. She silently hoped that the other slayer could stay standing until 'Willow' left.

"Why?" Willow asked in a harsh tone of voice "It's true. The only reason you're dating her is because you get a kick out of the evil thing. Maybe that's why you refuse to accept that she _is _evil"

"Will..." Buffy whispered as she and the other three girls watched in horror as Willows hair flickered between red and black "What are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything" Willow said coldly "But you need to listen to me. She has to be stopped...This is the only way!"

"I'm not going to let you hurt her" Buffy swore adamantly.

"You can't stop me" Willow growled angrily. She lifted her hand and swiped it viciously through the air in a cutting motion. Buffy watched the scene in almost slow motion and did the only thing that came to her head. She released Faith's hand and stepped in front of her using her slayer speed to get there quickly.

"WILLOW!" Bianca and Maggie gasped in horror as Buffy's shirt was cut open and blood appeared at the cut.

Willow gasped as her mind focused on the fact that Buffy had taken her blow "Buffy..."

"Get out" Faith growled as she stormed out from behind Buffy completely ignoring her raging sickness "NOW Red!" when Willow ignored her and kept her gaze focused on Buffy Faith continued furiously her fists clenched at her sides "I don't want to hit you or anything but after what you just did...I would leave quickly if I were you"

"Fine!" Willow snapped her attention back to Faith and glared darkly at her "I'm going" with that said she turned and walked out of the room.

Faith took a deep breath and turned around to see that Maggie had lead Buffy to sit on the couch and was now attempting to examine the wound much to the blonde's protest. She swallowed heavily as she felt herself began to sway unsteadily and a fine sheet of perspiration formed on her forehead. She stumbled backwards but found a pair of arms around her waist as Bianca moved forward to steady her.

"Are you okay?" Bianca asked in a hushed voice as she held onto the slayer firmly, suddenly aware that she was shaking.

"Fine" Faith said shakily "Thanks Bianca" she attempted to stand up straight but found that she still had t lean on Bianca for support.

"Hold on" Bianca said quietly as she eased herself out from behind Faith though she didn't relax her grip "I'll get you there" she gently pulled the slayer over to the couch and released her slowly.

Faith shot her a smile before she sat on the couch next to Buffy and touched her arm lightly "B? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" Buffy said quietly as she reached for Faith's hand and squeezed it lightly "It's just a scratch. Honestly" with her free hand she gently swatted Maggie's hand away "its fine Maggie...Stop fussing!"

"Buffy" Maggie narrowed her eyes at her friend in concern fuelled annoyance "Either take your shirt off or I'm going to find a way to take it off for you!"

"Are you hitting on me?" Buffy questioned playfully "Because if you are that was the worst line ever"

A faint smile tugged at Maggie's lips but she managed to hold her unnerving glare "Buffy..."

"Fine" Buffy pulled her hand away from Faith's and pulled her shirt off slowly blushing as she did so "Happy now?"

"Ecstatic" Maggie said dryly as she moved her hand to Buffy's shoulder to examine the cut. She looked up questioningly at Buffy's flinch "What is it?"

"Your hands are cold" Buffy complained scrunching her nose as she scooted back slightly.

"Winter" Maggie explained as she rubbed her hands together to generate heat before placing her hand lightly on Buffy's arm "Better?"

"Better" Buffy confirmed as she sat forward again. She glanced at Faith and took her hand again snapping her out of her daze "Faith?"

"I'm sorry B" Faith said softly as she looked at Buffy "That was all my fault with Willow...She was pissed off at me not you. You shouldn't have stepped in front of me..."

"I'm not just going to let her slice and dice you" Buffy frowned. She held Faith's gaze for a moment, recognising pain in her eyes and attempted to shuffle forward slightly.

"Stay still" Maggie ordered gently as she grabbed a bandage from her side and started to apply it "You're going to make it bleed again"

"Where do you get those things?" Faith asked curiously as she looked at Maggie "It's like you have a never ending supply with you wherever you go"

"Well I have to with you two" Maggie smiled teasingly as she applied the bandage and gently patted Buffy's shoulder "All done!"

"Good" Buffy grabbed her partially shredded shirt and pulled it over her head wincing as she did so.

"What's Willow's problem?" Bianca asked suddenly.

"I don't know" Buffy shrugged "She's not herself right now" she turned to Faith and gazed at her closely when her shaking increased "Faith? Are you okay?"

"No" Faith answered between shallow breaths "I feel absolutely terrible..."

Buffy placed a hand on her girlfriend's forehead and winced when she noticed she was burning up "You need a hospital or something"

"They can't do anything" Faith said shaking her head "It's not medical"

"Then what is it?" Maggie asked in concern as she kneeled down in front of Faith and grabbed her hand. She placed two fingers on the inside of the older girl's wrist and winced at her fast pulse rate "Your pulse is ridiculously fast...Not a good sign"

"If it's not medical" Bianca spoke up "What else is it?"

"Maybe I'm dying" Faith suggested with a shrug and a small humourless smile "Maybe the slayer curse has caught up with me?" she instantly knew it was the wrong thing to say as she felt Buffy stiffen next to her.

"Slayer curse?" Maggie frowned in confusion.

"We're not supposed to last long" Faith responded quietly as she looked over at Buffy who refused to return her gaze "We're meant to die young...Really young" a tense fear filled silence filled the room at Faith's answer.

"I'll get some ice" Maggie said softly as she stood up "It might help with your fever" she leaned over and dropped a kiss on top of Faith's head "We'll fix this"

Faith offered a warm smile as Maggie exited the room with Bianca behind her obviously intending to give herself and Buffy some privacy "B..."

"I can't believe you said that" Buffy said quietly. Faith was slightly surprised at the tears audible in Buffy's voice "When you know that things like that do happen in _our_ lives"

"I'm sorry B" Faith turned on the couch to face Buffy fully "I didn't mean to scare you or anything..."

"But it does!" Buffy exclaimed as she looked up to reveal tears in her eyes "the thought of losing you scares the shit out of me Faith! I can't do it...Not again"

"I'm sorry" Faith repeated as she pulled Buffy into her arms feeling herself getting teary eyed "I'm sorry B..."

"Promise me you won't go anywhere" Buffy spoke into Faith's shoulder as she clutched the other girl's shirt tightly "Promise me"

"I'm not going anywhere" Faith swore strongly as she inhaled Buffy's calming scent "I promise" she smiled weakly when Buffy pulled away "I'll never leave you if I have a choice"

"I love you" Buffy murmured tearfully "I love you so much"

"I love you too B" Faith whispered in much the same state as Buffy "Always" she leaned forward and kissed Buffy tenderly pulling her as close as possible.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! Thanks for all of your reviews...I really appreciate them! Oh and I'm really sorry for the late update. Life has been kind of hectic and I couldn't get this chapter right (I've been struggling to write this for three days now). I still don't really think I've gotten it right but...I guess this is just a kind of filler chapter. **

**Oh and for anybody who reads BAM I posted my new fic 'Jump into Love' a couple of days ago. Not sure if I'm going to continue it though due to the fact that...It might be too AU for y'all?**

**Jds: You've totally given me an awesome idea for this fic! Thanks :D **

**Anyway...Here's the next chapter. I promise updates will become more regular. Definitely. In fact I'm going to start to write the next chapter right now! Hope you guys are sticking with me because there's a hell of a twist (Or two) on the way! **

Chapter 13

"Hey!" Maggie greeted cheerfully as she walked into the kitchen and spotted Bianca sitting at the kitchen table, cup of coffee in front of her "Where did you disappear to this morning?"

"Researching" Bianca answered holding up the book in her hand that Maggie had failed to notice "I was helping Buffy...She's going a bit crazy"

"Oh" Maggie stopped next to Bianca and kissed her quickly "Crazy how?" she leaned across the table and grabbed Bianca's still warm half cup of coffee.

"Hey!" Bianca protested.

"What?" Maggie laughed as she sipped at the coffee "I just managed to drag myself out of bed...I need coffee to function properly"

"Whatever" Bianca rolled her eyes at Maggie's excuse.

"So how's Buffy going crazy?" Maggie changed the subject as she leaned against the counter "I thought she was...Okay now"

"Oh...Not crazy like that" Bianca understood Maggie's suggestion and quickly reassured her "She's not doing anything like that...Buffy and Faith are fine"

"Than what _is _she doing?" Maggie asked appearing even more confused than before.

"Going crazy as in obsessing" Bianca answered "She's looking for a way to save Willow from..."

"Herself?" Maggie suggested.

Bianca shrugged "Buffy seems to think Willow's been possessed or something...In fact she's convinced of it"

"Oh" Maggie jumped slightly at the thud that sounded from upstairs "Is that what they've been arguing about for the past hour?"

"I think so" Bianca replied thoughtfully "I don't really know...Buffy seems to be planning something though"

"Hmmn" Maggie frowned thoughtfully "Planning something like wha..." she was cut off as Buffy stormed into the room with Faith hot at her heels.

"I told you I'm going and you can't stop me!" Buffy exclaimed furiously as she pulled her jacket on "She's my best friend Faith!"

"Yeah, well she's not exactly acting like it right not Buffy" Faith countered heatedly. Bianca and Maggie winced as Faith uttered Buffy's full name fully aware of the fact that she only used it when she was worried...Or really angry "And you're just going to go right to her!"

"Willow wouldn't hurt me!" Buffy snapped irritably "I know that she wouldn't"

"Yeah?!" Faith yelled "Than what do you call that?" she motioned to the cut just visible above Buffy's shirt.

"She didn't mean to do that" Buffy responded quickly "After she did it she looked horrified...I know she didn't mean to do it"

"Oh well _its okay_ that she was only aiming for me!" Faith said in mock relief "That makes her a hell of a lot less guilty, doesn't it?"

"I didn't say that!" Buffy growled out as she slammed her hands down on the counter causing both Bianca and Maggie to jump. The blonde didn't seem to notice and turned around, fixing her glare on Faith "I'm going"

"Then I'm coming with you" Faith countered.

"No you're not!" Buffy exclaimed in annoyance "I already told you I'm not going to put you in danger"

"You're being reckless" Faith accused sharply "You're acting like I used to, You're not even thinking, you're just rushing in without..."

"I refuse to lose he..."

"You've already lost her!" Faith yelled without thinking.

Buffy stilled for a moment before she stepped forward inches away from the other slayer "Don't say that" her words were a whisper though her tone was still dangerous.

Bianca and Maggie glanced at each other in alarm.

"Buffy..."

"We've lost too much" Buffy said in a low voice as she fought oncoming tears "My Mom, Tara, Anya, Spike...I refuse to lose anyone else. Especially not her"

Faith softened slightly at the sight of Buffy's tears and pulled her into her arms "I'm sorry B" after a moment she pulled back to look into Buffy's tearful eyes "Look, we'll do this together okay?" she held up a hand as Buffy opened her mouth to protest "I'm not letting you go in there alone when Willow's like this"

"She won't hurt me" Buffy muttered again "But she _will_ hurt you"

"I'm still coming with you" Faith stated firmly "Just in case"

Buffy sighed but nodded anyway before she glanced at Bianca "Did you find anything useful Bianca? Anything that could explain what's happening to Willow?"

"No" Bianca shook her head and put the book down "Maybe it has something to do with what happened last time?"

"Willow wouldn't do that again" Buffy said instantly "Not willingly"

"Maybe she didn't do it willingly" Maggie offered "Maybe somebody forced her to do it"

"The question is why" Faith said as she jumped up onto the counter on Bianca's other side "There has to be a reason for somebody to do that" she glanced at Buffy apologetically "We don't even know where to find her"

Buffy sighed forlornly as she dropped into a chair "I wish Tara was here...She would know what to do"

"I know" Faith said quietly.

"I don't know who she is anymore" Buffy confessed quietly "She's not my Willow...It's like there's no sign of her in there..." her shoulders slumped in defeat "I miss the Willow that babbles a lot and get's ridiculously excited about Mochas. God I even miss her yelling at me"

"The fact that she won't hurt you shows that she is in there though, doesn't it?" Bianca suggested hopefully "There must be a part of her fighting whatever's happening"

"Yeah" Faith enthused as she jumped off the bench and grabbed Buffy's hand "Let's go B...All we have to do is find her!"

"Wait! But..." Buffy began to protest but allowed Faith to pull her out of the kitchen nevertheless.

"Well..." Bianca muttered as she heard the front door close "I guess Buffy doesn't need me to read this anymore..." she shut the book and pushed it away "Mags?"

"Hmmn?" Maggie snapped out of her silent contemplation and looked back up at Bianca.

"You seemed kind of zoned out" Bianca smiled.

"I was just thinking about Tara..." Maggie said thoughtfully "They seem to miss her a lot"

"Yeah" Bianca nodded in response "They do...It certainly seems like everyone around here loved her a hell of a lot"

"Mmmhm" Maggie mumbled "Do you think that's what's been going on with Willow? She's fallen into a depression?"

"I don't know" Bianca stood up and stretched "Maybe...But what about Kennedy?"

Maggie shrugged helplessly as answer "I have no idea"

---

"Are we going to stay in the car all day or are we going to get out?" Faith asked with a small teasing grin.

"Um..." Buffy bit her lip unsurely "I still don't think this is a very good idea. Maybe _you_ should wait here and I'll..." she was cut off as Faith leaned across the car and kissed her.

"Shut. Up" Faith instructed gently when she pulled away from the kiss "I'm going with you and that's final...Got it?"

"I don't want you to get hurt though!" Buffy exclaimed despite her sudden lack of concentration.

"I won't get hurt" Faith reassured her "I promise. I'll be fine"

"But..."

"No buts" Faith stated "I'm going with you"

"I wasn't really going to argue" Buffy said allowing a small smile to tug at her lips despite her anxiety "I was just hoping you would kiss me to stop me talking again"

Faith laughed at the blonde's statement "Well why didn't you just say so?" she leaned forward even more and captured the blonde's lips with her own in a passionate kiss. After a moment they pulled away breathlessly and Buffy sighed.

"I guess we should get out of the car than..."

"Yeah" Faith nodded and they reluctantly got out of the car.

"Why are we at a cemetery again?" Buffy asked curiously "Willow isn't a vampire...And even if she was, it's the middle of the day"

Faith shrugged "I had a feeling she would be here. That's all"

"Well she obviously isn't" Buffy frowned as she looked around the seemingly empty graveyard.

"WILLOW!" Faith yelled into the silence "WI..."

"Shhh!" Buffy shushed her "God, you're not exactly being inconspicuous are you?"

"Well at least we'll know if she's here" Faith shrugged.

"You called?"

Buffy and Faith jumped and spun around as Willow's voice sounded from behind them.

"See?" Faith whispered as Buffy grabbed her hand and took a step back. Willow smirked at her but when she glanced at Buffy her expression crumbled into guilt as she noticed the cut visible above Buffy's shirt.

"Willow?" Buffy questioned hesitantly.

"Buffy" Willow forced her gaze to harden and looked back at the blonde slayer "Finally seen that I'm telling the truth about her?" she spared a sharp glance towards Faith.

"No" Buffy shook her head instantly "I...We came to save you"

"Save me" Willow echoed disinterestedly. She jumped up casually onto a headstone "Save me from what?"

"From whatever's wrong with you" Buffy answered "Whatever demon's doing this to you"

"Oh...That's nice" Willow replied in a bored tone of voice.

"Where's Kennedy anyway?" Faith asked slightly annoyed that the younger slayer hadn't noticed Willow's absence "Shouldn't she have noticed you were like this?"

Willow shrugged "We're not dating anymore"

"You're not?" Buffy echoed in surprise "Oh...Is that why you..."

"Shut up!" Willow exclaimed as she held up a hand "That has nothing to do with this"

"Than what the hell is wrong with you?!" Buffy seemed to be losing her patience as she pulled her hand from Faith's and stormed right up to Willow "Tell me!"

"B..." Faith shifted nervously as Willow's dark gaze focused on her for a moment.

"Go home Buffy" Willow whispered her shoulder's slumping slightly in defeat "There's nothing you can do to fix this"

"I can!" Buffy persisted "Come on Willow just..."

"I SAID NO!" Willow yelled angrily. Without thinking she flung her arm out and telekinetically threw Buffy through the air.

"BUFFY!" Faith yelled fearfully. She was about to rush towards Buffy when Willow suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Faith" Willow grabbed Faith's jacket and pulled her towards her "You know I'm going to have to kill you right? I have to get rid of all the evil..." she held out a hand and a dagger appeared in a dark poof.

Faith swallowed nervously "This is ridiculous Red"

"You're going to hurt Buffy" Willow said automatically "You're going to hurt everyone..."

"I love Buffy" Faith corrected sincerely "You're the only one hurting her"

"You have to die" Willow didn't even appear to be listening as she pressed the dagger against Faith's throat. The slayer instantly began to struggle but found she couldn't escape Willow's vicelike grip. She winced as the witch pressed against the knife and began to pull it across her skin. A matter of seconds later Willow was tackled from the side and Faith gasped in pain.

Buffy and Willow tumbled to the ground and Buffy easily pinned the black haired witch there. She looked down at Willow her eyes alight with fury "You can hurt me all you want to...But there's no way in hell I'm going to let you hurt her. You're not my Willow...But I'm going to get her back. I swear it"

Willow glared at her for a moment before she disappeared and Buffy crumbled to the floor.

"Faith?!" Buffy jumped up a second later and rushed over to her girlfriend "Are you okay? Did she do anything? Oh My God...You're bleeding!"

"It's fine" Faith reassured her as she pulled her hand away from the cut on her neck "It's just a little cut...I'll be fine. Are you okay?"

"Yeah" Buffy sighed "Just a couple of bruises" she tugged Faith forward and kissed her lightly "I'm sorry that you got hurt again"

"It's okay" Faith reassured her quietly "I'm fine. Everything's going to be fine" the promise sounded empty even to herself and to emphasise the statement she kissed the blonde again allowing her lips to linger gently for a long moment. Eventually they pulled away and Faith pulled a slightly tearful Buffy into a warm hug "I promise"

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys thanks for your reviews. Here's the next chapter. Sorry it so late again. I meant to update yesterday but it took longer to write than usual and I'm **_**really**_** easy to distract lol. So yeah...Sorry. Hope you enjoy the chapter anyway!**

Chapter 14

"What's up with you?" Maggie asked as Faith flopped down onto the couch next to her.

"Nothing" Faith sighed heavily indicating that there was indeed something wrong with her "Buffy's obsessing again"

"Oh" Maggie nodded slowly and gazed closely at the slayer "Have you been arguing with her again?"

"No" Faith shook her head honestly "Where's Bianca?"

"Out" Maggie muttered darkly "With she who must not be named"

Faith couldn't help but laugh at Maggie's obvious jealously. She attempted to suppress her laughter however when Maggie glared at her "Sorry...So that's why you're sitting on the couch eating ice cream?"

"Yes" Maggie nodded sullenly "I'm drowning in self pity"

"Well in that case..." Faith grinned as she easily pulled the carton of Ben and Jerry's from Maggie's loose grip "Mind if I join you?"

"Nope" Maggie responded "the more the merrier, right?"

"Hmm..." Faith sighed in contentment around the spoon in her mouth "Chocolate fudge brownie...excellent choice"

"Hey!" Maggie protested as she grabbed the spoon from Faith's hand "Get your own spoon!"

"You're an ass" Faith pouted before she reluctantly got up and trudged to the kitchen. She returned moments later with a spoon in her hand "So tell me again why you're sitting here being all depressed?"

"Bianca's gone out with...Lena" Maggie wrinkled her nose as she said the name she had been attempting to avoid "Apparently she's leaving today...Halle-Freaking-Lujah"

"So why are you moping around?" Faith asked curiously "If she's leaving today"

"Are you serious?!" Maggie exclaimed as she handed the slayer the ice cream in her hand "She could be doing anything...I'm willing to bet she's hitting on her"

"I hope you're talking about Lena" Faith commented.

"Of course I am!" Maggie said instantly "I trust Bianca completely."

"Can I ask you something?" Faith asked quietly as she turned slightly to face Maggie.

"You just did" Maggie smiled lightly as she mirrored Faith's position "But go ahead and ask me anything else"

"Why are you so...Intimidated by this Lena person?" Faith questioned softly, her gaze focused intently on Maggie "You've never really told me"

"It's kind of complicated" Maggie admitted in a whisper "You know she was Bianca's girlfriend in PV, right?" at Faith's nod she continued "She was one of the reasons Bianca and I didn't get together back then. I kissed Bianca while she was still with Lena"

"Okay" Faith nodded for Maggie to continue.

"And then I couldn't stop thinking about Bianca and...Kissing her again" Maggie blushed slightly "So anyway I admitted to her how I felt and told her I was in love with her"

"And that didn't go well?" Faith guessed as she noticed the sad look on Maggie's face.

"No" Maggie shook her head in response "Bianca's response was that she loved me but...She still loved Lena. She was committed to her"

"Ouch" the slayer winced sympathetically.

"Exactly" Maggie confirmed with a nod "And even though I trust Bianca completely I can't help but be nervous when Lena's around"

"You know what this calls for?" Faith questioned suddenly as she stood up from the chair. She didn't wait for a response instead walking right out of the room.

Maggie looked confused as she stared at the place where Faith had disappeared. A moment later the older girl returned with a rather large bowl in her hands "What's in there?"

"Junk food" Faith grinned as she plopped back onto the couch next to Maggie and placed the bowl between them "Candy to be exact"

"Nice" Maggie laughed as she looked into the bowl "What happened to my ice cream?"

"Um...Melted" Faith answered shiftily.

"Yeah right" Maggie rolled her eyes at Faith's obvious lie "So now what we are going to do?"

"I'm gonna kick your ass" Faith grinned as she leaned to her right and grabbed two white gaming remotes from the floor.

"Seriously?" Maggie questioned slightly sceptical as Faith handed her a controller "We're going to sit here, eat junk food and play on an Xbox?"

"That's the plan!" Faith nodded enthusiastically as she started the game "Prepare to be beaten Stone"

"In your dreams Lehane" Maggie countered "My car's faster than yours so...there!"

"Now who's dreaming?" Faith laughed just as the game started.

"So..." Maggie said idly while attempting to overtake on the screen "What's your problem with Buffy?"

"I told you" Faith replied distractedly "She's obsessing again. We're not really having problems, she's just...freaking out. Which is making me freak out"

"Oh" Maggie nodded, fully aware that the other girl didn't want to talk about it.

---

"You're going to make yourselves sick" Buffy observed as she stopped next to the couch and looked down at Maggie and Faith.

Maggie glanced at the half full bowl of candy situated between herself and Faith "I already feel sick"

"Me too" Faith agreed.

"Where's Bianca?" Buffy asked as she sat next to Faith and dropped a kiss on her head.

"Don't ask" Faith advised.

"She should be back by now" Maggie fretted "I swear to God if Lena is making moves on my Girl I'm going to throw something at her. Probably a brick" just as she finished she heard a bang and they all looked up expecting Bianca to walk through the door. What they didn't expect however was a masked man to appear in the middle of the room.

"Holy shit!" Maggie gasped as she jumped off the couch "Is...Is that...?"

"The guy from the Halloween movies?" Faith questioned disbelievingly as her gaze focused on a large knife "I think so"

"Willow was being serious" Buffy murmured in realisation "About the movies"

"Well what are we waiting for?" Faith asked as she began to move forward.

"Wait!" Buffy caught Faith's arm to stop any further movement "We should wait to see if he attacks"

"He's a killer!" Maggie whisper yelled from just behind them "Of course he's going to..." she trailed off as the guy in the white mask raised his knife and charged forward "Oh My God..."

Faith quickly caught the intruder's wrist in a vice like grip and easily twisted it causing him to release the knife "B!"

Buffy quickly picked the knife up and plunged it into the killer's chest. He fizzled out before their eyes "Great...Another one who fizzles out. That must mean that other guy was the same as him"

"Grea..."

They were cut off as the front door slammed and a rather miserable looking Bianca walked into the room. She stopped short when she notice their attention was focused on her "What's going on?"

"Same old" Buffy sighed in frustration "A serial killer decided to attack us"

"Did he do anything?" Bianca asked in concern as her gaze flitted guiltily towards Maggie.

"No" Faith shook her head "We're fine"

"Maggie...Can I talk to you for a minute? It's important" she nodded towards the door.

"Um...Okay" Maggie looked worried but followed her fiancé into the kitchen anyway "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"I have something I need to tell you..." Bianca began nervously "Maybe you should sit down"

"Uh-oh" Maggie laughed nervously despite her sudden sense of dread "You're...You're not breaking up with me are you?"

"No" Bianca shook her head instantly "Of course I'm not"

"So what is it?" Maggie frowned "It sounds kind of serious"

"You're not going to like it..." Bianca warned "Maybe it isn't a very good idea to tell you..."

"Bianca, just tell me!" Maggie stated.

"Lena came onto me" Bianca blurted out "I...I thought you should know for the sake of being honest and all. I..."

"She _what?!"_ Maggie exclaimed furiously "I'm going to kill her!"

"She left already" Bianca responded guiltily "I'm sorry...I should have listened to you. But I didn't do anything. I told her to back off"

"its okay" Maggie took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself and pulled Bianca closer to her "I don't doubt you. It wasn't your fault"

"So we're okay?" Bianca asked unsurely "You're not mad at me?"

"Not at all" Maggie reassured her before she leaned forward and kissed her softly. Bianca responded for a moment before she pulled away and frowned thoughtfully.

"What?" Maggie asked in confusion.

"You taste...Weird" Bianca noted "Like sugar, maybe?"

"Oh. I was...its kind of complicated" Maggie smiled sheepishly "But there was a hell of a lot of candy involved"

"Right" Bianca laughed at the explanation "Never mind...Sorry I asked" with that said she tugged Maggie forward again and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

---

"What was that?!" Buffy exclaimed as she sat up straight on the couch and looked around at her three companions.

"Lord Voldemort?" Faith snickered, earning herself a soft slap on her arm "Ow!"

"That's not funny" Buffy glared at her.

"I thought it was funny" Maggie chuckled though she quickly shut up when Buffy turned her glare to her.

"Are you seriously telling me that none of you heard that?" Buffy asked as she stood up from the couch and cautiously began to move towards the door.

"B!" Faith stated in a whisper as she stood up from the couch and followed her girlfriend "Wait for me!"

Bianca and Maggie glanced at each other before standing up and following.

Buffy and Faith moved slowly through the hallway hand in hand. They stopped short however when their eyes fell on the person standing next to their front door.

".God" Buffy gasped in shock "A-am I seeing things or is that..."

"Buffy!" the person who very much resembled Tara looked up and smiled bashfully "H-hey"

"Tara?!" Buffy squeaked out in surprise when she heard Tara's voice come from the Tara look-a-like "You...How...You're dead!"

"I was" Tara nodded thoughtfully "But now I'm not...I can't really remember much of it actually"

"You're really here?" Faith questioned as she moved forward, tugging Buffy with her. She reached out and tentatively prodded Tara's arm to make sure she was solid.

"I am" Tara nodded solemnly "I was sent back to help with the situation"

"How did you get here?" Buffy asked, her eyes widening suddenly "Oh My God, did you have to..." she reached down and grabbed Tara's hands lifting them for inspection.

"No" Tara shook her head honestly "I didn't"

"Thank God" Buffy mumbled before she released Tara's hands and hugged her tightly instead "So...Are you back for good? Or is this...Temporary?"

"I don't know" Tara responded thoughtfully "I suppose we'll find out after we've fixed whatever it is I've been sent back to fix"

"Right" Faith nodded and glanced over her shoulder at Bianca and Maggie who looked completely confused "Oh...This is Bianca and Maggie. They kind of live with us...Well they don't _just_ live with us because that sounds kind of impersonal doesn't it? It's complicated"

"Hey" Tara offered them a small smile and a wave "I'm Tara"

"We figured" Bianca grinned though she was still somewhat confused "It's nice to meet you"

"Likewise" Tara replied before she glanced between Buffy and Faith "So...You two are together now?"

"How do you know that?" Faith asked in surprise.

"Well first of all you've remained in physical contact since I got here" Tara explained "And secondly I sense these things, remember?"

"Oh...I remember"

"Well it's about time" Tara commented with a smile "It took long enough"

Buffy and Faith shrugged sheepishly.

"Hey" the Wiccan said suddenly as her gaze focused on Faith "You're bleeding"

"Oh" Faith raised a hand to the blood that had appeared underneath her nose "its fine...I do that sometimes"

"It's not fine" Buffy and Maggie corrected in unison.

"Are you sick?" Tara asked in concern.

"Something like that" Faith shrugged "I've been like this for a while"

"How bad is it?"

"Bad" the dark haired slayer responded "It's kind of painful. Passing out, headaches, random bleeding, sickness, disorientation...I could go on"

"Have you seen a doctor?" Tara asked though her gaze had fallen to Buffy and Faith's clasped hands.

"They said nothing's wrong with her" Buffy stated, clearly frustrated with the situation "But there obviously is!"

"I need to sit down..." Faith mumbled as she tightened her grip on her girlfriend.

"Okay" Buffy nodded and squeezed Faith's hand lightly "Come on"

"Buffy?!" Tara quickly stopped Buffy from laving "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Um...Sure" Buffy nodded before she looked back at Faith "Can you get to the living by yourself or..."

"I'll be fine" Faith rolled her eyes despite her pain "Anyway Bianca and Maggie will be there"

"Okay" Buffy reluctantly released her grip on the other slayer and watched her leave with Bianca and Maggie in tow before she looked back at Tara "Are you okay Tara? You look kind of freaked out. Wait...Do you know what's wrong with Faith? Is it bad? What's causing it? Is it a vampire or...or a demon?"

"It's not a demon" Tara said softly causing Buffy to freeze "It's you Buffy"

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! Here's a super early update to thank you all for your wonderfully consistent reviews! I love reading what you think of the fic! So here's the early (And longer than usual) chapter. Hope you enjoy! **

Chapter 15

"Wha...What do you mean?" Buffy managed to speak through her shock "How is it me? What am I doing to her?"

"Come with me" Tara grabbed Buffy's wrist and pulled her further away from the doorway through which Faith, Bianca and Maggie had disappeared "Is there anywhere we can talk? Without being overheard?"

"Um...Upstairs" Buffy answered numbly "My room...first door on the left" caught up in her daze of shock she allowed Tara to pull her up the stairs without even registering where they were going. She only snapped back to attention when Tara released her wrist and shut the door behind them.

"Damn it..." Tara whispered to herself as she began to pace back and forth in front of a clearly stunned Buffy "This is not good"

"I don't understand" Buffy spoke up "How am I doing this to Faith?"

Tara stopped pacing in front of her and glanced down at the cut which adorned Buffy's chest just barely visible over her shirt "You're not healing properly are you?"

Buffy gaped at her in shock "How do you know that? I haven't told anyone..."

"Do you have any other injuries which aren't healing properly?" Tara completely ignored Buffy's question.

"My hand...There was a cut" Buffy whispered as she lifted her hand to reveal a half healing pink scar on the back of her hand "It's not healing right either"

"You're not a slayer anymore" Tara murmured softly as she ran her finger tentatively over the scar "A-at least not a full slayer anyway"

"What do you mean?" Buffy frowned in confusion "I still feel like a slayer. I still fight like a slayer"

"Your healing ability is almost gone" Tara said "Which makes you weaker and more vulnerable. Like a normal person...Your ability's have been drained. Is there anything else that's changed?"

"I'm slower" Buffy murmured in realisation "Slower than a slayer should be. Wait, what does this have to do with Faith?"

"I noticed before that while you were close to her there was a connection between you" Tara explained "A dark one. It seems like you weaken her almost. To the point of her injuries. You're kind of like a black hole which sucks away the health of a slayer. In essence you're..."

"I'm killing her" Buffy whispered in comprehension. She took a step back and dropped onto the bed "She's dying because of me"

Tara nodded shortly "I read about a prophecy a while ago which until now hadn't played out. It read 'One cannot live while the other survives'. My guess is that somebody took advantage of the prophecy and put a curse on you both"

"But we can fix it, right?" Buffy looked up hope shining in her tearful eyes "We just have to find whoever did it and get them to reverse it"

"I'm sorry" Tara shook her head sadly "If I'm right which I'm almost 100 percent positive I am, whoever did this is already dead. The ritual itself would have killed them"

"I...I had a nightmare" Buffy spoke through her tears "In which I stabbed her again...Does that mean anything?"

"It could be symbolic" Tara said thoughtfully "It could represent the fact that to break the curse you have to stay away from each other...or one of you has to die" her response was a faint sob from the shaking blonde "I'm so sorry Buff" she sat on the bed next to the other girl and placed a hand on her quivering back.

"I left her before" Buffy whispered "Because of the nightmares...I left her and she was okay. Nothing happened while I was away and then...When I came back, it started again. W-we were both in the same cemetery and...That's when it started again"

"I'm sorry" Tara mumbled again.

"I love her" Buffy sobbed softly "But I'm killing her because of it?" she turned to look at Tara in question "What am I supposed to do Tara?"

"I don't know" Tara whispered as she drew the distraught blonde into her arms "I really don't know" she blinked back tears herself as Buffy sobbed openly into her shoulder.

After a couple of minutes Buffy pulled back and inhaled shakily "I...I can't believe this is happening. I thought Faith and I...I thought nothing else could break us apart"

"It seems like you really love each other" Tara smiled sadly.

"We do" Buffy nodded tearfully. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself and closed her eyes causing unshed tears to cascade down her cheeks. When she opened her eyes again she noticed Tara staring at her in concern "Um...You're staying here tonight, aren't you? And then we can go and fix Willow tomorrow"

"Fix her?" Tara echoed in worry "What's wrong with her?"

"You don't know?" Buffy asked in surprise "I thought you would know what you were sent back for..."

Tara shook her head "I can't remember anything about what happened. All I know is that I agreed to this"

"She's turned evil again" Buffy informed her "So you need to fix her"

"Again?" Tara's eyes widened in shock "She's turned evil before?"

"Yeah" Buffy nodded slowly "She keeps trying to kill Faith for some reason...Says she's evil. But we can fix it can't we?"

"We can try" Tara sighed "But are you sure it's okay for me to stay here to..."

"Of course it's okay" Buffy reassured her distractedly "Come on...They'll be wondering where we are..."

"Right" Tara nodded and they got up and walked to the door. Just as Buffy placed her hand on the handle however Tara spoke up again "Wait, Buffy!"

"What is it?" Buffy asked painfully.

"I really am sorry" Tara said quietly.

Buffy nodded and opened the door. They walked down the hallway and down the stairs silently.

"Hey!" Faith exclaimed as she rounded the corner and stopped at the bottom of the stairs "We thought you..." she stopped short, her expression turning concerned as she took in Buffy's tearstained cheeks and bloodshot eyes "B?" she reached out tentatively and grazed Buffy's cheek with her fingertips but the blonde flinched back almost instantly.

"I'm going to leave you two alone..." Tara said as she motioned to the living room. After a moment of silence she nodded to herself and left.

"What...What was that about B?" Faith questioned in hurt as she pulled Buffy into the kitchen "Is something wrong? Did I do something?"

"No" Buffy shook her head as tears filled her eyes once again and the ache she had desperately been trying to ignore returned tenfold "You didn't do anything. I'm sorry"

"B..." Faith appeared just as pained as Buffy as she reached out and wiped her tears away "What's wrong?"

Buffy shook her head and lowered her gaze as sobs sprung from her throat.

"Hey" Faith placed both of her hands on Buffy's cheeks and attempted to meet her eyes "C'mon B, look at me" she breathed a silent sigh of relief when Buffy finally met her eyes "You can tell me anything. You know that"

"I'm sorry" Buffy apologised through her tears.

"What for?" Faith whispered "You haven't done anything. There's nothing to apologise for"

Buffy shook her head once again "You don't understand"

"Then make me understand! Just tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it" Faith said sincerely "You're kind of scaring me B"

Buffy closed her eyes, a soft sob escaping her at the worried tone of Faith's voice. A moment later she found herself wrapped up in Faith's arms and she breathed in the familiar scent.

"Why does it have to be like this?" Buffy sobbed as she clung tightly to Faith "Why does it have to be so hard?!"

"Buffy, please tell me what's wrong" Faith pleaded as she pulled away slightly to look at Buffy in alarm "Tell me and I'll make it better, okay?"

"You can't make it better" Buffy sniffled "Nobody can"

"I don't care!" Faith exclaimed her concern coming out in frustration "I'll try! You know I'd do anything for you..." she was caught totally off guard when Buffy surged forwards and caught her lips in a passionate kiss. She was caught so off guard in fact that she stumbled back against the refrigerator before she responded hesitantly.

"I love you" Buffy murmured between kisses as her tears continued to fall unhindered "I love you so much" not waiting for a response she pulled Faith closer and deepened the kiss.

"B...B wait!" Faith pulled away from the kiss when she felt Buffy's hand travel under her shirt "What are you...I mean..."

"I need you" Buffy whimpered tearfully "I need to be close to you"

"It's okay" Faith murmured as Buffy broke once again into almost silent sobs "It's okay" she leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss to her girlfriend's forehead. She paused for a moment battling her own concern before she pressed a soft kiss to Buffy's trembling lips. Buffy responded instantly and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. They pulled away for only a moment as Buffy pulled Faith's shirt up and over her head. Faith was about to point out the fact that Bianca, Maggie and Tara were only in the next room when the blonde kissed her again and began to move backwards out of the kitchen. They managed to get up the stairs and into their bedroom with no interruptions.

---

The first thing Faith was aware of when she woke up the next morning was the fact that her nose itched. A lot. She blinked her eyes open tiredly and smiled softly when she noticed that the cause of the itching was a couple of strands of blonde hair from the head which rested on her chest. She lay in silence basking in the moment before she spoke up "B?"

"Faith" Buffy murmured in response.

"Are you okay?" Faith asked tentatively as she pressed a soft kiss to Buffy's head "I mean...Are you going to tell me what last night was about?"

"It was nothing" Buffy whispered "Forget about it"

"It was definitely something" Faith disagreed "You really scared me B...I can't just forget about it"

"I'm sorry" Buffy said softly as she shifted to look up at Faith "I didn't mean to"

"It's okay" Faith replied quietly as she began to run her fingertips lightly up and down Buffy's bare arm "I'm just worried about you"

"You shouldn't be" Buffy mumbled "You shouldn't care so much"

"What?" Faith frowned at Buffy's remark "What does that mean?"

"Nothing" Buffy shook her head and sat up slightly "It doesn't matter"

"B!" Faith caught Buffy's wrist in a strong grip to stop her moving too far away "Just tell me what's wrong!" Buffy's gaze dropped to her hand where the thin pink scar was still visible against her skin. Faith misread the look and sighed as she loosened her grip on the older girl's wrist "I'm sorry...I just hate when you hide things from me. I wish you would tell me what's going on"

"You know I love you don't you?" Buffy looked unsure as she glanced up at her girlfriend "That I would do anything to stop you getting hurt?"

"Of course I know that" Faith whispered "I love you too but...

"I don't know what to do" Buffy admitted softly as she lifted a hand to Faith's cheek and frowned thoughtfully "I don't know how to fix something that can't be fixed..."

"Buffy..."

"We should get downstairs" Buffy sighed as she lowered her hand "We have to leave soon"

Faith watched in pure worry as Buffy stood up from the bed with a white sheet covering her body and walked out of the room.

"Damn it B..." she muttered as she flopped back down onto the bed.

---

"So are we ready for this?" Buffy asked in an attempted optimistic voice as she walked into the kitchen. As she entered her eyes fell on Bianca, Maggie and Tara sitting at the table chatting animatedly. Faith walked in behind her, her shoulder slumped in defeat.

"Dawnie's coming over to babysit" Bianca answered nodding towards Miranda who was sitting on her lap, playing idly with her hair "She said she'll be here in about half an hour"

Buffy managed a weak smile at that as she glanced at Tara "She's going to be absolutely thrilled to see you. She's missed you like crazy"

Tara returned the smile hesitantly, though she looked somewhat guilty at the defeated look on Buffy's face "Buffy..."

"Its okay" Buffy shrugged sadly even as her gaze dropped to the ground "Don't worry about it..."

Bianca and Maggie exchanged worried looks at Buffy's statement while Faith appeared confused as she looked between Buffy and Tara. She was about to say something when she was cut off by Miranda's yell.

"'Aith!"

Somewhat thankful for the distraction Faith wandered over to the table and took a seat next to Bianca. Miranda instantly reached out and grabbed her finger in a small fist "Hey Manda" she grinned and looked up at Bianca "Do you mind if I..."

"Not at all" Bianca smiled as she gently untangled Miranda's hand from her hair and passed her to the dark haired slayer. She stood up and stretched slightly before she walked over to the kitchen counter and leaned against it.

"Hey" Maggie whispered as she slid into Bianca's seat and placed a hand on Faith's arm "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you later" Faith responded in a hushed voice. Though she still looked concerned Maggie nodded anyway.

"So..." Tara spoke up idly "Do you guys know anything else about what's going on with Willow?"

"No" Buffy shook her head "We don't even know what caused it. The first time she changed was when you...Y'know. She soaked up a hell of a lot of black magic"

Tara nodded slightly as sadness settled on her features "And this time?"

"We don't know" Faith sighed "We thought it might have been because she broke u..." she trailed off awkwardly.

"Broke up with whoever she was dating?" Tara lowered her hurt gaze to the table in front of her "So...She moved on from me. That's good I guess"

"No" Buffy shook her head quickly "She didn't move on from you. I mean...She still loves you"

"I didn't really think about the possibility that she would be with somebody else" Tara admitted quietly "I guess I was being stupid by thinking I could just come back here and she would be waiting..."

"She's not with her anymore though!" Faith frowned "You can be with her!"

Tara shrugged weakly "I..." she was cut off by the slamming of the front door.

"I'm here!" Dawn yelled in her typically loud voice. The sound of her book bag and coat being flung in the vicinity of the couch was heard before she walked through the kitchen door "I..." she froze promptly as her gaze fell upon Tara "Um..." she blinked rapidly as if she was afraid she was seeing things "What..."

"Dawnie" Tara stood up from the table and took a tentative step forward. Dawn merely stood in the doorway and stared at her speechlessly.

"Um..." Dawn stuttered unable to draw her eyes away from Tara "I...T-Tara?"

"Hey" Tara smiled softly at the young girl she had grown so close to before her death.

"You're really here?" Dawn asked shakily as she blinked back tears "I'm not seeing things? I mean...You can't be here, can you?"

"I'm definitely here" Tara answered slightly tearful "Don't I get hugs anymore?"

As if whatever force had been holding her back had been released Dawn snapped out of her daze and rushed into Tara's arms "Oh My God...I missed you so much"

"I'm sure I would say the same if I could remember anything" Tara responded without pulling away from the embrace.

"Have you seen Willow yet?" Dawn asked wide eyed as she pulled away "She's totally lost it"

"No, I haven't" Tara answered softly "But I'm definitely going to"

---

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong now?" Maggie asked as she walked at Faith's side through the cemetery. Buffy, Bianca and Tara walked a few steps in front of them as Maggie and Faith had purposefully fallen back earlier.

"She's doing it again" Faith murmured sadly "She's pushing me away"

"What do you mean?" Maggie asked in alarm "How?"

"She was crying last night" Faith said worry obvious in her voice "And then this morning she was talking about not being able to fix something that can't be fixed" she glanced to her right and looked at Maggie through slightly teary eyes "I don't know what I would do if she left me again but...I think she's going to. For good this time"

"Hey" Maggie wrapped an arm around Faith's shoulders and pulled her close as they continued to walk "Don't think like that."

"How else am I supposed to think?" Faith asked quietly "She acted like this before and that's when she broke up with me"

"Don't let her push you away" Maggie instructed gently "Just...Don't let her. Make her tell you what's wrong"

"I wish it was that simple" Faith sighed dejectedly "But she won't tell me anything"

"Buffy wouldn't willingly leave you again unless there was a really good reason" Maggie said comfortingly "All you have to do is find out the reason"

"Easier said than done" Faith replied sadly "I just..." she trailed off as Buffy, Bianca and Tara stopped in front of them.

"Isn't there an easier way to find her?" Bianca asked.

"There is" Faith answered as she pulled away from Maggie "Or at least it worked last time..." she glanced at Buffy who completely avoided eye contact "WILLOW! WIIIILOOW! HEY RED, GET YOUR ASS OVER HE..."

"Yes?" a tired voice sounded from their right and the group spun round to see Willow standing there. Tara's jaw dropped in shock as she took in the sight of Willow's black hair and cold gaze "Oh My God..."

Willow didn't even seem to notice the rest of the group as her gaze was planted firmly on Faith "Ready to die yet?" she held out a hand and a knife appeared with a poof. Faith tried not to flinch as the memory of the same knife pressed against her throat filled her head.

"Willow?" Tara whispered as she stepped forward. Willow froze at the sound of the soft voice before she hesitantly turned her head to the direction it had come from "T-Tara?" she shook her head firmly even as tears clouded her vision and turned to glare furiously at Buffy and Faith "What the hell are you trying to do to me? Tara is DEAD!"

"I'm not...I'm right here" Tara spoke up again. She began to step forward and both Buffy and Faith tensed before she looked back at them "Willow won't hurt me"

"You don't know what I'm capable of" Willow whispered harshly "And you're not _my _Tara!"

"Put the knife down" Tara whispered as she stepped even closer "I'll prove it to you"

Willow shook her head adamantly but Tara continued to walk forward until the blade of the knife pressed lightly against her chest. Willow instantly dropped it and stared at Tara suspiciously.

"I'm here" Tara repeated as she reached out and took Willow's hand, tugging her forward. Willow gasped at the familiarity of the sensation and her hair flickered between black and red. Her gaze however remained suspicious.

"Look into my eyes" Tara ordered in a mere whisper. Willow hesitated for a moment before she looked up into Tara's dark brown eyes "I'm here..." The blonde witch leaned forward slightly and kissed Willow firmly. When they finally pulled away Willow's hair had faded back to its original colour.

"You're really here?" she whispered tearfully "You're really with me?"

"I'm with you" Tara whispered sincerely "I promise"

Willow's tears began to come thicker and faster as she pulled Tara back into a passionate kiss.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys thanks so much for your reviews. They're still greatly appreciated. And...Here's the next chapter. The song is 'poison and wine' by The Civil Wars. Awesome song. Oh and something weird is going on with my paragraph spacing so instead of ---- this is what my spacing between paragraphs looks like now: **_**--Para--. **_**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 16 

_**You only know what I want you to**__**  
**__**I know everything you don't want me to**__**  
**__**Oh your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine**__**  
**__**Oh you think your dreams are the same as mine**__**  
**__**Oh I don't love you but I always will**__**  
**__**Oh I don't love you but I always will**__**  
**__**Oh I don't love you but I always will**__**  
**__**I always will**_

"So are you ready to go?" Faith asked as she bound down the stairs and stopped next to an apprehensive looking Buffy "B?"

"Um...No" Buffy answered with a shake of her head "I need to talk to you" she turned and walked towards the living room, leaving the other slayer staring after her.

"Fuck" Faith muttered under her breath. She sighed disdainfully and shoved her hands into the pockets of her dark jeans before she followed the blonde into the living room "So what is it? What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Maybe you should sit down" Buffy suggested as she wrung her hands nervously in front of her.

"I'm fine" Faith sighed wearily "What is it you want to say B?"

"I'm thinking about moving out" Buffy blurted out "For real this time. I just...Think I need some time alone to think about things. I mean there are issues I need to work..."

"You're not moving out" Faith said simply.

"Through and...What?" Buffy frowned at Faith's statement "What do you mean I'm not moving out? I have to. This is important"

"Why?" Faith asked "Why is it so important that you push me away Buffy? Why is it so important for you to distance yourself?"

"Uh..."

"I'm not going to let you do it" Faith wearily continued as she stepped closer to the blonde slayer "I'm not going to let you walk away from me like last time"

"I can't be with you anymore" Buffy whispered, her gaze dropping to the ground "We can't be together. It's too hard"

"You're breaking up with me again?" Faith asked disbelievingly "Even after everything we went through? Even though you swore that you would never hurt me like that again?""

"It's not worth it" Buffy said as tears clouded her eyes "Being together isn't worth it"

"Buffy..." Faith reached out to the blonde who flinched away instantly. Unable to mask her hurt Faith blinked rapidly in an attempt to ward off her own tears "So what? I can't even touch you now?"

"It's probably not a good idea" Buffy said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest "I just...I can't do this"

"Tell me you don't love me" Faith demanded though her tone was weak "And if you want to leave I won't stand in your way"

"I..." Buffy swallowed heavily against the lump in her throat "I don't..." she took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly "I don't love you"

"You're lying" Faith observed though she had visibly cringed at Buffy's statement "I know you are"

"What do I have to do?" Buffy exclaimed as she dropped onto the couch and placed her head in her hands "Do I have to _make _you hate me or something?"

"I love you" Faith said honestly as she knelt down in front of the blonde "Listen B..." she took Buffy's hands in her own and squeezed them lightly "I'm not leaving you. And I'm not going to let you push me away either"

"You have no idea what you're doing" Buffy whispered.

"What am I doing B?" Faith ducked her head slightly to meet Buffy's eyes but to no avail as the blonde looked away instantly "Tell me what I'm doing"

"It doesn't matter" Buffy responded trying to keep the emotion from her voice as she spoke "We...We can't matter"

"You can't do this Buffy" Faith tried to keep her voice steady but it cracked audibly "I can't go through this again"

"You'll be fi..."

"I will _not_ be fine!" Faith exclaimed "I love you. Why can't you ju..." she was cut off as Buffy grabbed her jacket to pull her close and kissed her hard. Despite her shock at the sudden movement Faith lifted her hands to Buffy's neck and deepened the kiss. When they pulled back they were both breathing heavily and Buffy had tears on her cheeks.

"Tell me what's wrong" Faith ordered firmly though her tone was still concerned "Tell me B"

"I'm not good for you" Buffy murmured quietly "We're not good for each other"

"Why not?"

"Because it's not working!" Buffy stood up from the couch and moved away from the brunette "Our relationship just isn't working Faith"

"What does that mean?" Faith questioned in frustration as she too stood up and crossed her arms in front of her chest "It seems perfectly fine to me!"

"We can't be together" Buffy insisted.

"You keep saying that" Faith narrowed her eyes at the blonde "But you won't explain why. You just keep going around in circles...We can't be together, we're not good for each other, it's not wo..."

"I'm doing this for your own good!" Buffy practically yelled cutting off Faith's speech.

"What?" Faith frowned.

"I'm only going to end up hurting you" Buffy whispered, her gaze lowering to the ground "I'm already hurting you"

"What are you talking about?" Faith stepped forward so she was mere inches away from the other slayer "How are you hurting me?"

"I'm hurting you just by being here. By being this close to you" Buffy admitted as she looked up "You don't understand"

"B..." Faith reached out to her girlfriend only for Buffy to take an involuntary step back. Her hand hung in the air for a moment before dropping limply to her side.

"Do you remember when I went away?" Buffy asked suddenly "The first time?"

"Of course I remember" Faith whispered "What about it?"

"You said you were self destructive" Buffy took a deep breath and looked up to meet Faith's confused gaze strongly "I need to know that if I left or if something happened to me you wouldn't...I need to know you'll be okay"

"I can't tell you that" Faith answered "I can't give you the answer you want. I'd be lying" she frowned as she fully absorbed what Buffy had said "why would something happen to you?"

"It doesn't matter" Buffy shook her head and turned away from Faith "We should go...On patrol. Are you still coming with me?"

"Um...Yeah" Faith nodded though she was confused at the change of subject "But..." she trailed off and sighed as Buffy began to walk towards the door "Fine. I get it"

**--Para—**

_**I wish you'd hold me when I turn my back**__**  
**__**The less I give the more I get back**__**  
**__**Oh your hands can heal, your hands can bruise**__**  
**__**I don't have a choice but I still choose you**__**  
**__**Oh I don't love you but I always will**__**  
**__**Oh I don't love you but I always will**_

"I'm messy...Occasionally" Buffy stated as she walked along next to Faith through the graveyard "I'm stubborn, Obsessive..."

"That's kind of cute sometimes" Faith countered through gritted teeth "And the others aren't important"

"I'm bossy" Buffy continued to list much to Faith's annoyance "I'm an overachiever, my moods are unpredictable..."

"You can say that again" Faith chuckled humourlessly "I'm thinking bipolar"

"I'm...Wait what does that mean?" Buffy frowned "How am I bipolar?"

"Well think about it B" Faith rolled her eyes at Buffy's clueless tone "You did exactly the same thing the last time you broke up with me. One day you're all over me, the next you're breaking up with me. It's hot and cold with you"

"See?" Buffy exclaimed "that's another reason you should..."

"You know what B?" Faith stopped suddenly and turned to look at the blonde who had stopped at the same time "If you want to go just GO, okay? Clearly there's nothing I can do to stop you and I really don't want to listen to you list all of the reasons we shouldn't be together. So if you really don't want to be with me you can leave. I don't CARE!"

"Really?" Buffy asked shakily "You don't care if I..."

"Of course not really!" Faith yelled angrily "Jesus B!"

"I'm sorry" Buffy muttered regretfully before she continued walking slightly ahead of Faith. The dark haired slayer sighed heavily and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket before she followed at a slower pace. After a few minutes of walking in tense silence, her gaze fixed firmly on the ground Faith looked up to see Buffy fighting a vampire a few feet in front of her. She frowned as she noticed the blonde's distraction but seeing she had it under control Faith leaned tiredly against the tree next to her and closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"Damn vampires" Buffy muttered to herself as she continued to pummel the vampire in front of her. She risked a glance towards her brunette companion only to see she was leaning against a tree looking slightly paler than usual "Damn it..." She paused long enough for the vampire in front of her to retaliate with one of his own punches which resulted in her balance wavering slightly "Whoa..." She ducked just in time to avoid another swipe from the same vampire but hesitated when she straightened up again and looked to Faith.

"B?" Faith called out in concern as she noticed Buffy's attention focus on her "Are you okay?"

Buffy didn't answer, instead glancing warily between the vampire and Faith for a moment. Seemingly making her mind up about something she grabbed her stake from her belt and threw it to the side.

"What are you doing?" Faith frowned.

"Come and get me" Buffy whispered just loud enough for the vampire in front of her to hear. She didn't resist as he lunged at her and knocked her roughly to the ground. She didn't have enough time to catch her breath before the vampire's fist collided with her cheek once...Twice. Buffy cringed as she felt the vampires teeth scrape across her neck a moment before a sharp pain shot through her as his teeth sunk in slightly. She was just beginning to feel the blood leaving her body when the vampire was knocked roughly to the side and Faith staked him quickly.

"B?" Faith gasped in horror as she sank to her knees next to Buffy "What...What the fuck was that?" she moved her hand to Buffy's neck in an attempt to stem the bleeding.

"Nothing" Buffy huffed as she struggled to get to her feet. As soon as she stood up however she swayed slightly causing Faith to wrap an arm around her waist.

"Buffy..."

"I'm fine!" Buffy protested as she pushed Faith away slightly. Without the support however she swayed unsteadily and dropped back to the ground "Ow!"

"You threw your stake away" Faith muttered in realisation as she pulled Buffy up off the floor "B!"

"What?" Buffy winced at the loudness of Faith's voice "I didn't do anything!"

"That's my point!" Faith said angrily as she wrapped her arm firmly around the blonde slayer in order to hold her up "You _didn't_ do anything. You were just going to let him..."

"I had it under control!" Buffy persisted stubbornly "You shouldn't have done that"

"He was killing you!" Faith argued "And you weren't exactly putting up much of a damn fight!"

"You shouldn't have stopped him!" Buffy yelled in frustration as she shoved herself roughly away from the other slayer "You shouldn't have..."

"What are you saying?" Faith asked in shock "That you want to die?"

"I'm saying I can make my own decisions" Buffy lifted a hand to her aching neck and winced when it collided with the bite mark. Seeing Faith was about to move forward she turned around and began to walk away "I'm going home"

"Buffy!" Faith shouted after her in frustration. She kicked furiously at the ground beneath her feet before reluctantly following.

**--Para--**

Bianca looked up from Miranda in front of her as she heard the front door crash open. She relaxed slightly when she heard Buffy's voice but couldn't help the concern that flooded over her as she recognised that the voice was raised angrily.

"I already told you!" Buffy yelled furiously "I'm not going to try to kill myself again, okay? So stop goddamn hovering!"

Bianca frowned at the word _again_ but stayed silent.

"Well how am I supposed to know that?" Faith countered just as angry "If you did it once..."

"You don't understand!" Buffy's voice sounded along with the banging of the fridge door "If you had any idea..."

"Well maybe if you would talk to me I _would_ understand!" Faith exclaimed furiously "You're supposed to be able to trust me Buffy. You're supposed to be able to tell me what's wrong with you instead of breaking up with me and trying to get yourself killed!"

"I can't talk about it!" Buffy exploded, tears audible in her voice "Not now. Not ever, okay?" her voice lowered slightly "Just leave me alone Faith" the sound of the front door opening and closing was once again heard before Faith walked wearily into the living room. She froze as her gaze fell on Bianca "I don't suppose you heard any of that...?"

Bianca shrugged apologetically "It was kind of hard not to. Sorry"

"It's okay" Faith sighed and swiped a hand tiredly over her eyes.

"So...Again?" Bianca asked slowly.

"It's a long story" Faith said quietly "Um...Where's Maggie?"

"Upstairs" Bianca said knowingly "She writing some kind of report...But I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you need to talk to her. She's been working for three hours straight anyway"

Faith nodded distractedly and turned around to leave. She paused however at the door "Bianca?"

"Yeah?" Bianca responded expectantly.

"Do you think you could see if Buffy's okay?" Faith requested shakily "She's a bit banged up from patrol and...Stuff"

"Sure" Bianca nodded and watched Faith leave the room.

**--Para--**

Maggie looked up from her laptop as a knock sounded at the door "Come in" she offered a small smile as Faith opened the door and walked into the room "Hey"

"Hey" Faith responded softly as she closed the door behind her "Are you busy?"

"Kind of" Maggie frowned in concern when she noticed the slayer was adamantly refusing to meet her eyes "But you can stick around if you want to"

"Thanks" Faith muttered before she jumped onto the bed next to Maggie though she kept her gaze lowered "So what are you doing?"

"I'm writing an essay about Textbook inoperable tumours" Maggie replied as she glanced back at her laptop "It's actually not as boring as it sounds. I mean it's kind of depressing and all but this stuff is really int..." she paused as she heard a soft sniffle from next to her and looked at the other girl in worry "Fai?"

"I'm fine" Faith said softly "I have a...Cold. Y'know"

"A cold" Maggie echoed sceptically as she watched the slayer's shoulders shake softly "Right. You don't even get colds"

"She tried to break up with me again" Faith whispered tearfully "She actually told me she didn't love me"

Maggie looked slightly shocked before her expression darkened in anger "I'm going to kill her"

Faith laughed through her tears at Maggie's statement "I don't think she would stop you"

"What?" Maggie frowned in confusion at the statement.

Faith finally looked up to meet the younger girl's gaze "She was asking me if I would be 'Okay' without her and when we went on patrol she tried to get herself killed"

"What?" Maggie's eyes widened in alarm "Why...Why would she do that?"

"I don't know" Faith sniffled as she reached up to wipe her ongoing tears away "She just stood there and let the vamp attack her"

"Is she okay?" Maggie asked quietly.

"She was bitten" Faith whispered hoarsely "I pulled the vamp off her though so I don't think it's too bad, right now" she glanced sidelong at Maggie through her tears "I don't know what to do anymore Maggie. I don't know what I did to make her like this!"

"You didn't do anything" Maggie stated comfortingly as she pulled Faith close to her side and hugged her lightly "Whatever's going on with Buffy right now...It's not your fault. And you can't think like that"

"She won't even tell me what's wrong though!" Faith exclaimed in frustration "There's nothing I can do"

"Then maybe you should wait until she's ready to talk about it?" Maggie suggested hesitantly.

"What if it's too late then? What if she does something stupid before she's ready to talk about it?"

"I don't know" Maggie whispered helplessly "I'm sorry"

Faith took a deep breath and shifted slightly away from Maggie "I should go..."

"Why?" Maggie frowned in concern "I mean...You can stay here for a while if you want. I'm not busy"

"Are you sure?" Faith asked hesitantly.

"Positive" Maggie nodded firmly.

"Thanks Mags" Faith sighed as she flopped back down onto the bed "As pitiful as it sounds I don't really want to be alone right now"

Maggie nodded in understanding.

--**Para--**

"So I heard you got pretty banged up" Bianca remarked softly as she stepped out onto the porch.

Buffy looked up from where she was sitting on the bottom step and offered an unsure smile "I guess you could say that" she patted the space next to her and Bianca took a seat "Beer?" she grabbed a beer out of the open box next to her and offered it to Bianca.

"Thanks" Bianca whispered as she took the bottle and shivered slightly against the cool night air "So what happened?"

Buffy shrugged and sipped at her beer "Didn't Faith tell you?"

"She did" Bianca nodded "But I kind of want to hear your side of it"

"I had a suicidal moment" Buffy chuckled bitterly "A vamp bit me"

"Are you okay?" Bianca frowned.

"I'll be fine" Buffy responded softly "It hurts a bit but it shouldn't cause any permanent damage"

"So why did you do it?" the younger girl questioned hesitantly "Because I really don't understand"

"It was spur of the moment" Buffy shrugged "You don't have to worry"

"You're seriously telling me that I don't have to worry even though you just tried to kill yourself?" Bianca asked incredulously.

"I have a good reason" Buffy whispered as she looked over at the other girl "I just can't tell you what, okay?"

Bianca sighed but nodded anyway "Faith's a mess"

"She is?" Buffy blinked rapidly to stop tears forming in her eyes.

"She didn't say anything but I can tell" Bianca said quietly "She's with Maggie"

"Good" Buffy sniffled softly "That's good...That she's not alone. She shouldn't be alone right now"

"Is there anything I can do?" Bianca asked as she shifted slightly closer to the blonde and placed a hand on her arm.

Buffy shook her head sadly "I don't know what else to do...Could you stay here for a bit though?"

Bianca sighed in concern but nodded as she turned her gaze to face forward.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! Sorry again for the late update. I've had a bit of writer's block which is over now (At least where Fuffy and BAM are concerned). But thanks again for all of your reviews! I really love to know what you think! Not much BAM in this chapter which sucks but lots of Fuffy Drama/Angst, Faith/Maggie friendship stuff and even a reference to the L word thrown in there (The flower thing is embarrassingly true btw lol). **

**Oh and I have a couple of quick questions (Though if you're bored of listening to me rant already feel free to completely skip this part). Okay here goes…**

**I realised that this fic is already longer than the prequels yet I'm not even nearly finished yet so my question is…Am I going to slow? Are you bored? Should I hurry up and finish this? (Okay…that was technically three questions. Sorry lol. **

**I was thinking about writing a Fuffy fic since I've had an idea for a while. Probably only about 5 chapters but updated more frequently since I have some idea about the framework so…What do you think?**

**Wow, that was long…Hope you enjoy the chapter! **

**Oh and Jds: Will/Tara will be around next chapter. I promise. :D **

Chapter 17

Buffy groaned as she entered the kitchen the pounding in her head not being helped by the music playing from the radio. She failed to notice the glare she received from Maggie as she slumped into a seat at the table and dropped her head into her hands. She sighed heavily and looked up after a brief moment catching Maggie's hard look "What?"

"Nothing" Maggie stated coldly before she dropped her gaze back to the bowl of cereal in front of her. Despite her own fury at the blonde slayer she couldn't help her gaze returning to the bite mark on Buffy's neck in concern.

"Really Maggie" Buffy snapped "If you have something to say just say it"

"Where were you last night?" Maggie asked trying to keep her voice calm "You didn't come back until early this morning"

"I was out" Buffy answered monotonously "Slaying and…Stuff" she raised a hand to her aching head, an after effect of exactly what she had been doing the previous night.

"Hmmn…" Maggie nodded knowingly "I heard what happened"

Buffy chuckled humourlessly "I figured you would have"

"Do you have any idea what you're doing to her?" Maggie spoke softly though the fury that laced her voice was undeniable as she leaned forward slightly.

"I know exactly what I'm doing" Buffy said "I'm doing what has to be done"

"What has to be done" Maggie echoed sceptically "You have to break her heart again? That has to be done?"

"Jesus, would you stop yelling?" Buffy groaned visibly cringing at the volume of Maggie's voice as pain shot through her head "I have a headache"

Maggie huffed indignantly but didn't speak up again.

"I'm not trying to hurt her" Buffy spoke after a brief moment "I'm only trying to do what's right for her. And what's right for her is to be as far away from me as possible" she sighed heavily when Maggie merely stared at her uncomprehendingly "If you had any idea…You would do exactly the same for Bianca"

"I would never do this to Bianca" Maggie snapped angrily "I happen to care if she's hurt or not"

"You don't understand" Buffy announced loudly as she stood up from the seat and moved laboriously over to the other side of the counter from Maggie "You couldn't understand"

"Then maybe you should explain!" Maggie said firmly "Or better yet maybe you should quit going out of your way to hurt the person you supposedly love"

"I'm trying to _protect_ her!" Buffy growled incensed by the suggestion that she was trying to hurt her girlfriend "If I stay with her she's going to get hurt"

"You said that the last time you left" Maggie replied as she too stood up "And I still have no idea what it means"

"It means that as much as I want to be with her I just can't, okay?" Buffy stated in obvious frustration "I shouldn't even be here right now"

"Why?" Maggie frowned in confusion "Why shouldn't you be?"

"I can't tell you!" Buffy stated in obvious distress "Because if I tell you you're going to tell Faith and she'll want to find a way to fix it" she dropped her gaze her voice softening slightly "There's no way to fix it"

"Buffy…"

"I have to hurt her" Buffy stated steadily "I have to do this to protect her in the long run"

Maggie exhaled heavily and leaned slightly closer to Buffy "I don't think you have any idea what you're doing to her"

"What I'm doing now is better than the alternative! I'm doing the right thing" Buffy exclaimed loudly "And to be honest Maggie I know that you're really close to Faith but you have no right to yell at me when you don't understand the situation"

Maggie gritted her teeth in an attempt to remain calm "I have every right to yell at you after what you've done to her. Do you have any idea how much she was hurting when you left her or…Or how much it took for her to be able to trust you again after everything that happened in her past? How much it took for her to be able to let you in, in the first place?"

Buffy swallowed heavily at the statement before she responded, her voice hard despite the tears she could feel welling up "I'm fully aware of what her past was like Maggie"

"Are you really?" Maggie asked furiously "Because if you were I don't think you would be doing this to her"

"I _love_ Faith" Buffy insisted as she looked up at the brunette "And I'm going to do what I can to protect her even if it means breaking her heart in the process"

Maggie was stunned into silence for a moment before she laughed disbelievingly "That…That makes NO SENSE!"

"It makes no sense to you" Buffy corrected forcefully "But I'd rather die than hurt her"

"Is that what that was?" Maggie motioned towards Buffy's neck her features softening into worry for a moment "Because to her it seems like you'd rather die than be with her"

"That's ridiculous!" Buffy practically yelled "If it was up to me I would still be with her. Do you think I want to hurt her like this Maggie? Because I don't. I hate myself for having to do this to her"

Maggie visibly softened at the sight of tears forming in Buffy's eyes. She reached across the counter and grabbed the blonde's hand "Buffy, listen to me…" she made sure that she had Buffy's attention before she continued "You're my friend and you know I love you no matter what but…Faith doesn't deserve this. Not from anyone but especially not from you"

"It has to be done" Buffy stated as she pulled her hand away and wiped quickly at her tears, her expression hardening once again "I have to do this"

Maggie clenched her hand into a fist on the table, her fury once again reaching boiling point "You know what? This is a waste of time…If you're going to leave her, stop waiting around okay? She shouldn't have to feel like this, Like you only want to be with her when it suits you so just…Make up your mind" she grabbed her cup of cooling coffee from the counter and gazed intensely at Buffy "You're going to break her you know…By doing this"

"I know" Buffy muttered.

Maggie shook her head in disdain "Damn it Buffy you…You just…" she shook her head in frustration unable to verbalise her feelings "Forget it…I'll be upstairs!" with that said she turned around and stomped loudly out of the room.

"Fuck" Buffy muttered dropping her head painfully to her hand as the distraction of the argument faded. She winced audibly as Maggie's loud footsteps were heard from the stairs.

_**-Para-**_

Faith shifted slightly as she gazed vacantly at the image on her TV her thoughts more focused on a certain blonde slayer than the screen. She jumped slightly and glanced towards the door as it slammed open only to see Maggie walk through it and slam it shut behind her. The dyed brunette set her cup of coffee down before she flopped down on the bed next to Faith.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Faith attempted a grin "I could have been naked for all you know"

"ARGH!" Maggie yelled in pure frustration as she thumped her fist into the bed in an effort to exhaust the fury bubbling within her "This is such a FUCKING MESS!"

"Um…Okay" Faith said in confusion "So I take it you're in a bad mood?"

Maggie sighed heavily and sat up on the bed. She shifted so that she was leaning on the back of the bed next to Faith and pulled her knees securely to her chest.

"What was the yelling about?" Faith attempted again when Maggie remained silent "Downstairs I mean"

"You heard that?" Maggie asked turning her head slightly to look at the slayer who was now sipping on her coffee.

"You were being loud enough" Faith smiled weakly "Anyway I have slayer hearing so…What were you yelling about?"

"I was arguing with Buffy" Maggie admitted softly causing Faith to tense next to her.

"So she's back?" Faith whispered.

"Yeah…She's back" Maggie nodded "We got into an argument"

"What about?" Faith questioned softly. At Maggie's '_What do you think'_ look she continued "Oh…That"

"That" Maggie responded darkly "I just…I hate how she's treating you right now so I gave her a piece of my mind"

"You know you didn't have to d…"

"Yes I did!" Maggie interrupted sharply "I'm not just going to stand by and watch while she hurts you again. What she's doing isn't right. You haven't done anything wrong"

"Maggie…"

"This is all such a mess" Maggie exclaimed tiredly "Buffy breaking up with you, trying to get herself killed, me and Bianca…"

"What about you and Bianca?" Faith frowned in concern as Maggie trailed off "What's wrong?"

"We're having a…Minor disagreement" Maggie answered hesitantly "She's doing the Bianca thing and trying to understand why Buffy's doing what she's doing. Me? I'm just pissed that she's doing it at all"

"I don't want you two to have problems because of us" Faith spoke, worry lacing her voice "Maybe you should talk to her"

"What? No!" Maggie exclaimed instantly "I'm not in the wrong here…Anyway, it's not like we're not talking or anything. We're okay"

Faith couldn't help the sad chuckle that escaped her lips "Well I'm glad one of us is"

"Faith…"

"Its okay" Faith shrugged miserably "I guess I just have to accept that B's going to leave me for real this time. I just…I wish I knew what I'd done to make her want to leave"

"You didn't do anything!" Maggie argued firmly as she grasped Faith's hand in her own "this isn't your fault, okay? It's just…A bad situation"

"Maybe she just doesn't love me" Faith shrugged biting down hard on her lip to keep her tears at bay.

"She does" Maggie said surely "I know she does. _You_ know she does. That's not even an issue here"

"Maybe" Faith whispered "Can we just not talk about it right now? I've been thinking about it all night…trying to find where we went wrong but…I just want to forget for a while now"

"Of course" Maggie nodded "We can just…Sit here" she turned her attention back to the TV but glanced back as she felt Faith shift slightly closer to her. She sighed heavily when she noticed tears in the older girl's eyes and pulled her close to her side. They sat in silence apart from the occasional sniffle from Faith before the slayer herself spoke up, her head still resting lightly on Maggie's shoulder.

"Thanks Maggie"

"No problem" Maggie smiled softly as she gave the other girl a reassuring squeeze. She remained silent for a moment before her attention focused on the screen "What are we watching?"

"The L word re-runs" Faith sighed despairingly "I figured some humour would cheer me up. Even angst would make me feel better"

"Wait is this…" Maggie frowned thoughtfully at the screen "What episode is this?"

"Um…" Faith pressed a button on the remote causing information to flash up on the screen "Losing the light"

"Oh God turn it off" Maggie scrambled to grab the remote from Faith and switched the channel "Phew…That was close"

"What?" Faith looked absolutely baffled at Maggie's panicked reaction.

"Do you remember what happens in this episode?" when Faith shook her head Maggie continued "This is the episode Dana dies! The most traumatic episode of the whole show! With the final 'I love you's and the flower and…The song!"

"How is it traumatic?" Faith asked in confusion "I mean it's depressing and all…"

"It's mentally scarring!" Maggie stated with wide eyed sincerity "Seriously, I was in a shop one day and my friend pressed one of those damn flowers so the song started to play…I burst into tears. They thought I was crazy"

Faith stared at Maggie blankly for a moment before bursting into giggles "Oh My God, seriously? You're such a loser"

"Hey!" Maggie exclaimed prodding Faith in the arm "Shut up!" she shook her head in amusement before she began to idly flick through the channels.

"Wait!" Faith said suddenly "You watched the L word?"

"Yeah, So?"

"And you thought you were straight how exactly?" Faith chuckled.

"Point taken" Maggie smiled before she settled on a channel "Ha! Shaun of the dead…Perfect Movie"

"I mean it you know" Faith said her voice turning sincere "Thank you…For everything. For standing by me, distracting me…"

"Anytime" Maggie stated reassuringly

_**-Para-**_

"Hey!" Faith exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen her eyes landing immediately on her girlfriend. She walked over to her quickly and grabbed the bottle of tablets from her "What the hell are you doing?"

"I have a headache!" Buffy grabbed the tablets back and spilled two onto her palm "Don't worry. I'm not planning on taking them all" she took the tablet's trying as hard as she could not to look back at her girlfriend.

"B…" Faith whispered painfully "I don't…"

"What?" Buffy turned around but still refused to meet the younger girl's eyes "What is it?"

"Why won't you look at me?" Faith asked pain clear in her voice.

"I'm sorry" Buffy murmured as she looked up at Faith "I really am sorry. Not just about that but about all of this. About what I'm doing to you"

Faith's expression faltered for a moment but she made no comment instead lifting her hand to trace along the bit mark on Buffy's neck "That looks…" she paused noticing the blonde's eyes had fluttered shut at the gentle caress "Painful"

"Yeah" Buffy forced her eyes open and attempted to stabilise her heart rate "It really is" she stepped forward slightly, her eyes locked firmly on Faith's to make it obvious that she wasn't talking about the bite "Faith…"

"Yeah" Faith whispered.

"I can't…" Buffy licked her lips nervously her own eyes flitting down to Faith's lips "I can't…I mean I don't think…I…Fuck It" with that said she stepped forward, closing the remaining distance between them and kissed the brunette passionately. The force of the action forced them backwards until Faith's back hit the counter but she didn't seem to notice the only things she was aware of being the feel of Buffy's hands on her cheeks, her fingers sliding through silky blonde hair and their lips locked together passionately. She pulled the blonde impossibly closer and deepened the kiss for a moment before they were forced to pull away for breath.

"I can't stand it" Faith gasped breathlessly, still holding Buffy close to her "I just can't B"

"I'm sorry" Buffy whispered as she began to tear up "I'm so sorry"

"I love you" Faith murmured her breath ghosting a trail across Buffy's lips "Why can't it just be that simple?"

"Nothing ever is" Buffy responded just as quietly "I wish it was…I wish I could be with you"

"Why can't you?" Faith asked her own tears spilling down he cheeks "I don't understand"

"I just can't" Buffy responded as she swiped a thumb gently over Faith's tearstained cheek "And I hope you never have to find out why"

"What are we going to do?" Faith questioned emotionally.

"I guess…I should go" Buffy said quietly "I-I'll get my stuff and I'll leave"

"No" Faith whimpered softly before she pulled the blonde closer and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so sorry" Buffy whispered into Faith's ear "I _love_ you" she pressed a quick kiss to the younger girl's shoulder before she forced herself to pull away "Don't forget that"

Faith shook her head tearfully and kissed Buffy firmly.

"I'm sorry" Buffy said again when they pulled away. She was about to walk away when Faith's voice stopped her.

"Buffy?"

"Yeah?" Buffy turned around stubbornly brushing ongoing tears from her eyes as she did so.

"I need you to take this" Faith pulled something out of her jeans pocket before she stepped forward pressing her IPod into Buffy's hand "Just listen, o-okay? The last verse kind of explains how I feel and I just…want you to know"

"Okay" Buffy whispered before she forced herself to pull her hand from Faith's and walk out of the room.

_**-Para-**_

"Don't you think you're being a bit insensitive?" Bianca asked as she dropped down onto her bed and pulled her shoes off "Maybe you should try to think about it from Buffy's perspective"

"I don't _want_ to think about it from Buffy's perspective" Maggie scowled "What she's doing is wrong. You've seen how much it's hurting Faith…How much she was hurting before"

"Maybe she has a good reason!" Bianca insisted.

"If that's the case" Maggie countered "Why wouldn't she just stop keeping the big secret and tell Faith what the hell's going on?"

"Sometimes it's best to keep secret's to yourself" Bianca snapped "It's easier that way"

"Is that what's going on with you?" Maggie asked expectantly.

"What are you talking about?" Bianca frowned.

"You've been keeping something from me" Maggie explained crossing her arms in front of her chest "I know you have"

"It's nothing" Bianca sighed "Look Maggie can we just…"

"Not talk about it?" Maggie asked, rolling her eyes at the expected answer "Of course" she turned towards the door "I'm going to get some air" she walked out quickly and headed towards the front door which she walked out of. She started slightly when her gaze fell on Faith who was sitting silently on the top step.

"Hey" Faith smiled weakly despite the tears tracks on her cheeks "Have a seat" she patted the step next to her and waited until Maggie had sat down before continuing "What's wrong?"

"Argument with Bianca" Maggie answered simply "I said something stupid about her keeping secrets…What about you?" she watched curiously as Faith lifted a lit cigarette to her lips and inhaled deeply.

"Buffy left me" Faith blew a puff of smoke out in a perfect 0 "For good this time I think. She even said she was going to get her stuff" she offered the cigarette to Maggie who hesitated for a moment before taking it much to the slayer's surprise. She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her as Maggie attempted to inhale and ended up choking on the smoke. She reached over and gently patted the younger girl on the back, waiting patiently for the coughing fit to end.

"Ow" Maggie rasped painfully as she handed the cigarette back "That hurts"

Faith shook her head in amusement before she threw the cigarette away. She paused for a couple of minutes, listening to the light drizzling of rain which had started before speaking up again "I don't know what to do anymore"

"I know" Maggie whispered as she shuffled closer to the older girl "I know"

"It hurts so much" Faith admitted softly "I can't take it"

"It's going to be okay" Maggie whispered "You're going to get through this"

"How?" Faith asked tearfully "It's over. Buffy's gone. It's ended just like I knew it would…I'm alone"

"I'm still here" Maggie reminded her gently "And I don't plan on going anywhere"

Faith sniffed back her tears and nodded despite the pain in her chest "Thanks Maggie"

Maggie offered no verbal response instead choosing to stare out into the darkening night as the increasingly heavy rain poured down on them "It's raining…"

"You can go if you want" Faith offered "I'll be fine"

Maggie shook her head "It's okay"

_**-Para-**_

Buffy sighed to herself as she stuffed some clothes into her bag before zipping it up. She paused for a moment before she sank down onto the bed and pulled Faith's pillow to her chest breathing in the familiar scent. She clung to the pillow despite the tears which threatened to overwhelm her. Catching sight of Faith's IPod next to her she grabbed it and put the headphones in her ears before pressing play and listening closely to the lyrics. She found herself slightly confused before the final verse began to play and her heart constricted painfully.

_**My love she is my saving grace She holds me through the winter**__**  
**__**Knowing well that I will leave**__**  
**__**Still she holds me closer**____****_

_**And if my heart should break**__**  
**__**Well I will surely die**__**  
**__**And my blood will flow and my soul will fly**__**  
**__**Into the night where the spirits scream**__**  
**__**I will leave this world and become a dream**_

"Damn it" Buffy muttered tearfully as she buried her nose in the pillow "What the hell am I doing?" she closed her eyes for a split second before opening them again "I can't do this…"

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys here's another chapter! Extra long this time so I hope you all enjoy! I seem to be inspired to write right now as I've just started on the second chapters of Standing on the edge and Jump into love (Really sorry about the delay for that btw) so they should be up by tomorrow I think. Probably shouldn't hold me to that though lol. Thanks again for the reviews, I really appreciate them. **

**JDS: You should totally go for the writing thing! We need more BAM fics on here (There's a distinct shortage of them as well as Dana/Alice fics). And don't worry about updating, I'm kind of rubbish at that myself in case you didn't notice lol. **

**Oh and quick note: I don't think this fic will be finishing any time soon but I only have two weeks of college left to go so I'm gonna have a lot of time on my hands to write which means…More updates!**

**Oh and If you get a message which says chapter 19 has been uploaded...Ignore it. I somehow posted chapter 18 twice and had to take one down. Sorry about that!**

**Song this chapter is 'Many of horror' by Biffy Clyro. **

Chapter 18

"How many times do I have to tell you Maggie?" Bianca sighed tiredly "I'm not keeping any important secrets from you"

"But you're keeping_ something_ from me" Maggie stated firmly "I'm not entirely stupid you know Bianca"

"I know that" Bianca rolled her eyes and sank further back into the couch, her arms crossed defensively in front of her chest "But you don't need to know"

"You're supposed to be able to trust me" Maggie continued as if she hadn't even heard what Bianca said "You're supposed to be able to tell me what's bothering you!"

"She's not bothering me!" Bianca exclaimed before she could stop herself. When she realised what she had said she paled slightly and silently hoped Maggie didn't catch the slip.

"_She's_ not bothering you?" Maggie questioned softly "Who is _she?_" when Bianca remained silent she continued slightly louder "Bianca, I need to know If there's something going on…"

"WHAT?" Bianca looked up sharply "Maggie, are you seriously accusing me of cheating on you?"

"That's not what I meant!" Maggie responded defensively "I know you wouldn't cheat on me. I trust you completely but…There's obviously something wrong and I need to know what it is!"

Bianca's expression softened slightly at the statement and she reached out to take Maggie's hand, gently pulling her onto the couch next to her "Fine but…you have to promise that you won't completely lose it"

"I promise I'll try not to lose it" Maggie said with an unsure smile.

"Okay" Bianca took a deep breath and closed her eyes before looking back at Maggie wearily "Lena didn't really leave"

"What?" Maggie frowned in confusion "But you told me…"

"I know" Bianca interrupted "I know what I told you. I'm sorry. I thought she had left. She _told_ me she was leaving but she didn't"

"Right" Maggie muttered thoughtfully "Wait…How do you know she didn't leave? Has she been bothering you?"

"Not really" Bianca shrugged "I saw her a couple of times since she works near me and there was slight flirting but…" Bianca trailed off when she noticed Maggie's pained expression "From her. Not me. I wasn't flirting with her. Absolutely not" she shook her head firmly "No way. I wouldn't do that. Ever. I mean…"

"I get it Bianca" Maggie said with a slight smile.

"Right" Bianca released a relieved breath "So that's all that happened. There's nothing else going on. I promise"

"And you felt the need to lie to me about this because…?" Maggie asked dubiously.

"Well…" Bianca shifted uncomfortably under Maggie's confused stare "I thought you would think I was cheating on you or something"

Maggie stayed silent for a moment before speaking up her voice almost a whisper "Bianca, are you trying to tell me something here?"

"What do you mean?" Bianca frowned.

"Is this a way of telling me that we have trust issues?" Maggie asked nervously "Because I thought things were going great with us apart from the whole disagreement thing and I…"

"Maggie!" Bianca interrupted soothingly as she reached out and placed a hand on Maggie's arm "It's not us. We're not having issues but I know that Lena is a sore subject for you so I decided it would be best if I didn't say anything. It was stupid" she paused for a moment but the older girl offered no response "I'm sorry"

"Its okay" Maggie eventually whispered "I get it Binks" she leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to her girlfriend's lips "But will you do me a favour?"~

"Anything" Bianca said sincerely.

"Promise not to keep these things from me" Maggie requested softly "I need to know, Okay? And just for the record…I know you wouldn't leave me for her. I trust you even if I don't trust her"

"Good" Bianca smiled before she kissed the dyed brunette softly.

"Wait!" Maggie pulled back slightly "You forgot to promise"

"I promise" Bianca chuckled as she rolled her eyes and tugged Maggie back into the kiss. The older girl responded instantly and gently pushed Bianca back onto the couch.

"Couch, again" Bianca grinned up at Maggie as they pulled away for breath.

"Bianca?" Maggie narrowed her eyes playfully as she shifted position atop the brunette "Shut up"

"Or what?" Bianca questioned in challenge.

"Or…" Maggie leaned down and smirked seductively "I might have to stop" she kissed Bianca lightly before pulling back by a fraction of an inch.

"That's a good reason" Bianca whispered, her eyes still closed before she pulled Maggie back down into a passionate kiss.

They pulled back for breath after a moment and Maggie chuckled lightly as Bianca's hands gripped the bottom of her shirt "In a hurry Binks?"

"Mags?"

"Yeah?" Maggie lifted her arms allowing Bianca to pull her shirt over her head and throw it randomly behind them.

"Why are you still talking?"

"I actually have no Idea" Maggie giggled before she once again captured Bianca's lips with her own and pushed her back down on the couch, her own hands rising to the buttons on the younger girls shirt.

"Ahem"

The clearing of a throat from their left caused them to pull away from the kiss, startled. Maggie released a squeak of surprise as she leaned to her right and fell off the couch, landing on the floor with a soft thud. She raised her arms quickly to cover herself while Bianca burst out laughing. Maggie peaked over the couch to see a slightly pink Tara standing there her eyes averted while Willow merely smirked in amusement "Um…it's not what it looks like?" she shot a still laughing Bianca a half hearted glare "Binks!"

"What?" Bianca giggled "It's funny!"

"Oh My God…" Maggie muttered suddenly aware of the fact that she was blushing brightly.

"Interesting use of the couch" Willow noted teasingly.

"Hey" Maggie spoke up as she spotted her shirt "Can you pass my shirt?"

"Sure" Tara answered before she grabbed Maggie's shirt and passed it to her.

"Thanks" Maggie caught her shirt and pulled it on quickly before sitting on the couch and glancing at a still grinning Bianca "It's not funny"

"It was kind of funny"

"You're only saying that because you had your clothes on at the time" Maggie grumbled with a pout "I didn't"

"You had _some_ clothes on" Bianca pointed out.

"Not very many" Willow chuckled causing Maggie's blush to brighten slightly.

"How did you get in?" Maggie asked as she turned to Willow and narrowed her eyes suspiciously "The door was locked"

"Magic" Willow and Tara answered in unison.

"Of course" Maggie muttered sarcastically "What else could it possibly have been?"

Bianca grinned at her girlfriend's moody pout before she looked over at Willow and Tara "So what are you guys doing here? Not that it's not great to see you…"

"Is it?" Willow glanced at Maggie who was still glowering at nothing in particular.

"Yeah" Bianca reached over and took Maggie's hand "She gets moody when she's frustrated"

"Biiiiinks!" Maggie whined "I'm sitting right here you know"

"I was actually looking for Faith" Tara cut in before Bianca replied "Do you know where she is?"

"I don't know" Bianca shrugged as Maggie stood up from the couch "She might be upstairs or…She could have gone out"

"You do this on the couch when Faith is in the house?" Willow laughed lightly.

"FAITH!" Maggie yelled while shooting Willow an embarrassed glare "FAAAAAAITH!" she paused for a minute and when there was no answer turned back to Tara "She's not here"

"Oh" Tara frowned in concern "W-What about Buffy?"

"She took off about a week ago" Maggie answered barely able to keep the anger she felt from her voice "We haven't seen her since"

"That's not good" Willow muttered as she shared a look of worry with Tara "What if she's done something stupid?"

"Something stupid?" Bianca asked carefully "You really think she would do something like that? I mean I know she tried to before but she told me that was a lapse of judgement…"

"She could see it as a way out" Willow said thoughtfully, her own alarm growing "A way to protect Faith. And we wouldn't even know if it had happened because another slayer would only be called if something happened to Faith since Buffy's already died three times"

Maggie and Bianca didn't respond but glanced at each other in confusion.

"How is Faith?" Willow asked in honest concern as she looked towards Bianca and Maggie who were once again side by side "I mean how is she taking the news? It can't be easy knowing you can't be with someone or you'll die" she bit her lip guiltily "Seems kind of ridiculous that my evil self thought Faith was hurting Buffy when it's actually the other way around"

"What are you…?" Bianca started to say before Maggie reached out and grasped her arm lightly and she trailed off.

"She's…Dealing" Maggie said her gaze focused intently on Willow and Tara "Not very well though"

"That's understandable" Willow nodded "She must be worried out of her mind for Buffy after finding out about the whole 'Not a slayer anymore thing'"

"Yeah" Maggie bluffed confidently despite her frazzled nerves and the unexpected news "She is"

"It's a horrible situation" Tara murmured quietly "They finally realise how in love and prefect they are together and Buffy finds out that Faith will die if they stay together so she has to leave" she glanced over at Willow "I don't know what I would do" she paused for a moment when she realised there had been no response from Bianca or Maggie she glanced over at them only to see they were staring at her blankly, seemingly frozen in shock "Oh My God…Please tell me you knew all of that before I told you?"

Maggie took a deep breath trying to push the sick feeling away "Did you just say F-Faith is dying?"

"Buffy didn't tell you" the blonde Wiccan muttered in realisation "And Faith didn't either which means…"

"Faith doesn't know" Willow finished softly.

"That isn't what you're saying is it?" Maggie asked desperately as she reached out and grabbed Bianca's hand in a tight grip "You're telling me that this thing Faith is going through with…With the sickness and everything it's…She's actually going to die?"

Bianca squeezed Maggie's hand comfortingly as she noticed her increasing distress "Tara?"

"Yes" Tara nodded sombrely "That's what I'm saying"

"There has to be some kind of mistake" Maggie shook her head in denial "There's no way…This kind of stuff doesn't happen! Faith cannot be dying"

"I'm sorry" Tara apologised sadly.

"And…You're seriously telling me Buffy's been dealing with this choice and I've been telling her what a jerk she is?"

"Maggie…" Bianca whispered "You…" she was cut off suddenly as the front door opened and slammed shut.

-Para-

"Stupid" Faith muttered to herself as she half heartedly staked her fifth vampire of the night despite her rising sickness "This is completely stupid" she quickly ducked a blow she sensed coming her way and kicked the vampire's legs out from underneath him so he dropped to the ground. She staked him tiredly and he crumbled into ash. The dark haired slayer sighed as she pushed herself to her feet and wiped her hands on her dark jeans. She tensed as she spotted movement of something running towards her in the distance and squinted slightly to see what it was.

"Shit" Faith muttered to herself "Uber Vamp" she took a deep breath in an attempt to push past her nausea as the vampire continued to sprint towards her. Just as he reached her, her vision began to swim and she struck out in front of her in hopes she would hit him. She missed predictably and the next second she was knocked to the ground by a hard punch to her cheek. She jumped to her feet and paused for a moment as the vamp once again advanced on her before closing her eyes using her other amplified senses to detect where he was. When he was close enough she jumped into a roundhouse kick which sent the demon flying and pain shooting through her already aching head. Breathing heavily, the slayer turned around and vaulted over the nearby crypt landing with a soft thud on the grass on the other side. She sat completely still against the side of the crypt apart from the rapid rise and fall of her chest and a moment later the sound of fighting was heard from behind her. Despite her confusion Faith made no move to get up or even open her eyes until she heard a familiar voice.

"Faith?"

Faith opened her eyes to see Buffy hovering hesitantly at the side of the crypt her expression filled with concern "B…Leave me alone" she contemplated trying to get up but decided against it and instead pulled her knees securely to her chest.

"You're hurt" Buffy stated quietly as she walked to Faith's side and knelt down next to her. She reached out tentatively and grazed Faith's cheek with her fingertips.

Faith closed her eyes for a brief moment, the feeling of Buffy's cool fingers against her flushed and bruised cheek momentarily soothing her before she forced herself to pull back "Why do you care?"

Buffy blinked at her in confusion "You know I care about you"

"We're not together anymore" Faith pointed out painfully.

"The fact that we can't be together doesn't mean I don't love you" Buffy said sincerely. When there was no response and Faith merely looked away she allowed herself a moment to look her ex-girlfriend over "You look terrible" indeed the brunette was pale and faint trails of tears were visible on her cheeks.

"No shit" Faith chuckled humourlessly, her voice slightly higher with barely constrained emotion.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"A while ago" Faith shrugged "You don't look so hot yourself" despite her statement she didn't turn back to look at the other slayer.

Buffy paused for a moment unsure as to how to respond to the comment before something occurred to her "Did it happen again? The sickness thing I mean?"

"I guess that's what it was" Faith responded carelessly "It didn't stop…Not that you would know"

"Damn it" Buffy whispered to herself "That means this isn't working"

"What isn't working?" Faith finally turned to look at Buffy.

"Uh…Nothing" Buffy said shiftily "I was just thinking out loud"

"What are you doing here anyway?" Faith asked as she painstakingly pushed herself to her feet, still leaning heavily on the stone crypt behind them "I haven't seen you for like…A week"

"Sorry" Buffy apologised as she too stood up "I've been kind of…Trying to process things. Trying to give you some distance"

Faith shrugged weakly "You don't have to apologise. You told me you were leaving me so it's not like you took off without any warning" they stood in tense silence for a minute before she turned to walk away.

"Faith!" Buffy exclaimed causing the shaky brunette to look back at her "Let me take you home"

"That's probably not a good idea" Faith responded "I'll be fine"

"No you won't" Buffy objected as she began to walk forward "You're sick. I'm not just going to leave you to walk home by yourself. You could be attacked…I don't want you to get hurt"

Faith laughed bitterly and shook her head.

"What?" Buffy asked in confusion.

"You don't think you've already hurt me?" Faith gestured towards herself "Seriously B…Look at me. I'm a mess"

"I-I'm Sorry" Buffy stuttered feebly "I didn't mean to…"

"Of course you didn't" Faith muttered, running a hand through her dark hair.

"I'm sor…"

"Stop it!" Faith yelled, effectively cutting off the other girls' speech "I don't want to hear it B! I don't need your apologies. They're not going to fix anything. Especially not me" when Buffy merely gazed at her guiltily she spoke up again her voice softer this time "You made me weak. You just decided to come along and make me fall in love with you and you made me WEAK!"

"Faith…" Buffy stepped forward so that she was mere centimetres from her ex-girlfriend "I never meant to hurt you"

"But you did!" Faith persisted emotionally "You _are_ hurting me because…I risked everything with you. I didn't hold any part of myself back. Do you have any idea how hard it is to…Be with someone and feel completely naked around them when you've hidden behind walls your whole life?" she didn't allow Buffy any time to respond and instead continued with her emotion fuelled rant "You're the only person I've ever trusted to be this vulnerable around and you threw it back in my face! This…" she gestured towards herself "Is what happens when I trust somebody"

"I didn't mean for this to happen" Buffy said slightly shocked at Faith's statement "If there had been any other option…" she trailed off and shook her head "I'm only doing this because I _love_ you"

"You keep saying that" Faith responded sadly "But I don't think I believe you anymore" she turned and began to walk forward once again.

"Wait!" Buffy desperately grabbed Faith's arm and pulled her back to her. The other slayer quickly began to pull her arm back but Buffy spun them around and backed up so Faith's back was pressed against the stone wall behind them.

"So we're back to this?" Faith whispered as she stopped struggling against Buffy's grip. She motioned to the blonde's hand on her arm "Back to how we were in the beginning?"

"You know I would never hurt you like that again" Buffy responded softly as she loosened her grip "I just…Didn't want you to leave without telling you…I love you. That was never faked in any way. And I'm not leaving you because I fell _out_ of love with you it's just a difficult situation for us"

"What's a difficult situation?" Faith questioned in confusion "Everything was going great for us until you started doing this"

Buffy shook her head and stepped back "I'll drive you home"

Faith's shoulders slumped in defeat and she began to walk at Buffy's side. They walked in silence for a few minutes before the brunette spotted the car and spoke up "Why is your car here?"

"Um…The place I'm staying is a while away" Buffy answered nervously "I thought it was best to be as far away as possible" she opened the passenger door for Faith who gave a hint of a smile before climbing into the car.

"Right" Buffy muttered as she closed the car door and jogged around to the driver's side of the car. She got in quickly and started the engine before she glanced back at Faith "Are you okay?"

"No" Faith whispered sadly in response "I'm not okay"

Buffy sighed as she watched the brunette blinking rapidly obviously trying to ward off approaching tears "Hey…" she reached out and placed her hand atop Faith's but found herself shrugged off almost immediately.

"Don't Buffy" Faith said her voice thick with unshed tears "Just don't okay? I can't take it anymore" she took a deep breath when she felt Buffy's gaze lingering on her "Can you just drive?"

"Sure" Buffy started the car just as Faith reached over and pushed the button on the car CD player to fill the tense silence. The blonde slayer glanced away from the road in front of her towards Faith only to see her eyes were once again closed, seemingly in an attempt to compose herself.

_You say "I love you, boy"__  
__I know you lie__  
__I trust you all the same__  
__I don't know why_

Faith opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Buffy who gazed back just as intensely.

_'Cos when my back is turned__  
__My bruises shine__  
__Our broken fairytale__  
__So hard to hide_

_I still believe__  
__it's you and me to the end of time_

Buffy quickly turned her gaze back to the road she was driving along and bit her lip to keep her own tears at bay. 

_When we collide we come together__  
__If we don't we'll always be apart__  
__I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it__  
__When you hit me, hit me hard__  
_

"Fuck's sake" Faith muttered before she slammed her hand down on the CD player effectively turning it off. The two slayers remained silent until they pulled up outside of the house and they both got out of the car.

"Maybe we should talk about this" Buffy said as she followed Faith into the house.

"Why?" Faith asked oblivious to the stares of Bianca, Maggie, Willow and Tara as she turned to Buffy "So you can tell me that you're doing this for my own good again? That we just _can't_ be together?"

"Faith…"

"No!" Faith exclaimed loudly "I can't hear it again Buffy!"

Buffy watched silently as Faith turned and walked quickly up the stairs.

"Go after her" Maggie ordered suddenly her own voice slightly shaky "Go Buffy"

Buffy turned and looked at Maggie in surprise to see the younger girl looked just as dismayed as she herself felt. With a quick glance at a guilty looking Tara she turned around and sprinted up the stairs.

"This can't be happening" Maggie whispered as she slumped down onto the couch "This is…It's too much"

-Para-

Faith sighed as a knock at the door disturbed her thoughts "I'm fine Maggie I just need…" she turned to gaze at the door and frowned when she saw Buffy standing in the open doorway "B…I-I didn't sense you"

"I owe you an explanation" Buffy said quietly "Can I come in?"

"Um…Sure" Faith nodded her consent and watched as Buffy entered the room, closing the door behind her. The blonde hesitated for a moment glancing between the bed and her ex.

"You might as well sit" Faith said quietly "I mean it used to be your bed too, right?"

"Um…Right" Buffy muttered awkwardly before she sat on the bed next to Faith "Okay…Here goes" she took a deep breath to calm her frazzled nerves "Where should I start…"

"The beginning would probably help" Faith said softly as she crossed her legs Indian style.

"Okay" Buffy nodded nervously and held up her hand "Do you see that?"

Faith frowned and tilted her head thoughtfully as she examined the pink scar on Buffy's hand "Yeah"

"That's from when the really fast demon attacked us downstairs" Buffy murmured before she unzipped her jacket and pointed at the faint scar visible above her shirt "And this is from when Willow cut me"

"They should have healed" Faith mused in concern as she reached out and traced the scar with her fingertips before her gaze flicked up to meet Buffy's eyes "Why haven't they?"

"You can't sense me o-or if you can it's really faint" Buffy continued "And I'm not as fast or as strong as I used to be because…I'm not a slayer anymore"

"What?" Faith exclaimed in shock "Of course you're a slayer…You kicked that vamps ass tonight!"

"Not really" Buffy motioned toward her leg and Faith looked down to see the bottom of her jeans were blood soaked "I barely held my own"

"How?" Faith questioned softly, her eyes lifting again to Buffy's "How did this happen?"

Buffy shrugged dejectedly "I don't know. Tara said that my ability had been drained or something which makes me more vulnerable"

"This all started after you talked to Tara" Faith pondered, realisation lighting her features for a moment before her expression turned confused once again "Wait…What does this have to do with me? Why would you break up with me over this of all things?"

"This is the hard part" Buffy muttered sadly her gaze dropping to her lap "Tara said she sensed something else that night. Something between us…"

"What?" Faith tentatively reached out and grasped Buffy's hand half expecting the blonde to pull away immediately. She found herself slightly surprised however when Buffy tightened the light grip "What did she sense B?"

"A connection between us" Buffy responded hesitantly "Not a good one"

"What do you mean?" Faith frowned slightly at the statement "Are you trying to tell me that our relationship is…" she paused for a moment before continuing painfully "Was unhealthy?"

"No" Buffy shook her head quickly "But there's another connection. A dark one"

"Which means what?" Faith asked in confusion "What does the connection do?"

"Your sickness" Buffy whispered as she met Faith's eyes "Everything that's going on with your health is my fault"

"That's ridiculous"

"It's not" Buffy shook her head "I weaken you. Not just emotionally like you said but…Physically. I'm kind of like a black hole which sucks your health away"

"That doesn't make sense" Faith argued "I mean this thing wouldn't just appear out of nowhere"

"It didn't" Buffy answered "Tara says there's some kind of prophecy somebody must have taken advantage of by putting a curse on us" seeing Faith was about to argue further she continued "And Tara said that this guy would be dead already so there's no way the curse can be removed" she stopped and waited for a couple of minutes but when Faith stayed silent she began to get worried "Faith?"

"You kept saying you were trying to protect me" Faith whispered in understanding "You decided that to stop me getting hurt you would break up with me and move as far away as possible"

"That's about it" Buffy nodded slowly.

"How…"Faith shook her head speechlessly and pulled her hand roughly away from Buffy's "How fucking COULD YOU?" she stood up from the bed and ran a hand through her dark hair "What…You just…You didn't even give me a choice B!"

"I'm sorry" Buffy apologised "I was only trying to protect you!" she blinked rapidly against oncoming tears.

"You didn't tell me what was going on or anything" Faith said through her own tears "I should have been able to make my own decision about this!"

"I couldn't risk it" Buffy said honestly "I knew that if I told you what was going on you would want to find a way to fix it but there just isn't a way. The only way is for us to stay apart and…even though it kills me that's what I have to do"

"You should have told me" Faith said weakly as she sat back down on the bed "Instead of making me think I had done something wrong or that you didn't love me"

"That's not the reason I left" Buffy said quietly "I never stopped loving you"

Faith looked up at Buffy through teary eyes "I didn't stop loving you either"

"But we can't be together" Buffy said sadly "Because you'll die" she watched as Faith's gaze dropped and she shuddered almost imperceptibly with a soft sob "I really hurt you didn't I? More than I'll ever know…"

"More than anyone else could" Faith whispered through her tears "More than I ever have before"

"I'm sorry" Buffy whispered sincerely as she raised a hand to Faith's cheek and wiped a stray tear with her thumb "I wish there was some way we could be together but…If we're together you get sick. Your only chance is if I stay away. If I don't you'll die"

Faith offered a small teary smile "I said once that I'll love you until it kills me"

"You did?" Buffy asked softly, her hand dropping down next to Faith's on the bed.

Faith nodded slowly "I think I was talking to Mag…" she trailed off suddenly as something occurred to her "Did Bianca and Maggie know about this?"

"No" Buffy shook her head "They don't know. If they had Maggie would have demanded that I tell you right away or…She may have killed me" she winced slightly as she recalled her many arguments with Maggie about her treatment of Faith "She was already furious at me for leaving you without telling you why so if she'd known I was hiding something big…"

"Yeah" Faith smiled softly through her tears at the thought of her best friend "I don't know what I would have done without her for the past couple of weeks"

Buffy nodded and watched as Faith's expression turned contemplative "What?"

"You said the sickness would go away if you left" Faith said thoughtfully "But it didn't go away at all. It didn't even lessen which means leaving me hasn't worked"

"I know" Buffy said in worry "That's what I was talking about at the cemetery. I don't know what to do"

"Don't do anything" Faith suggested quietly "Don't go anywhere or do anything. It's not going to help"

"What?" Buffy frowned and shook her head insistently "No way. I'm not just going to let you die. I can't do that"

"I know" Faith responded looking slightly scared herself at the prospect "But if I don't have long left I don't…I don't want to be without you"

"Don't talk like that" Buffy whispered as tears filled her eyes again "You're not going to die. There has to be something I can do to stop it. I can't just let this happen Faith. I c…"

"Shhh" Faith soothed as she leaned forward and interrupted the blonde with a soft kiss "its okay. It's okay B"

"It's not okay" Buffy shook her head as her tears continued to fall "I can't let you die. There has to be something I can do to fix it"

"If there is we'll find it" Faith reassured her as she leaned her forehead lightly against the blonde's "But if there isn't…I need to be with you, okay? Please B…" her voice cracked slightly with emotion "You can't just leave again"

"I don't know what else to do" Buffy whispered "I can't let you die"

"There's nothing you can do right now" Faith murmured softly "Just don't go"

Buffy hesitated unsurely before nodding faintly "I love you. I would never just stop"

"I love you too" Faith whispered before she leaned closer to Buffy and kissed her passionately. The older girl responded instantly her hands threading through soft dark hair in an attempt to pull her lover closer. They lost their balance when Faith leaned forward too far and they fell back onto the bed with a soft thud. A moment later they were forced to pull away for breath and the brunette trailed a line of quick kisses down Buffy's jaw towards her neck.

"Faith I don't think…" Buffy whispered as Faith began to unbutton her shirt.

"Don't think" Faith instructed softly as she pulled back to look into Buffy's eyes "Just feel, okay B?" she waited for a consenting nod before she kissed the blonde intently, despite the tears falling consistently from both of them.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys, sorry for the late update (Again) but I've been kind of distracted lately. Thanks for all of your reviews though, I really appreciate them. This chapter is basically filler, I think (Sorry for the lack of action) but next chapter should be better. And it's focused mainly on Maggie and Faith so…Yeah, here it is. Oh and look out for my Grey's reference if you watch it! :) **

**If you read my other Fuffy/BAM fan-fics: Chapter 2 of 'Jump into love' is posted, Next chapter of standing on the edge should be up by tomorrow, hopefully. :D**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 19

"'Morning!" Faith exclaimed happily as she walked into the kitchen and spotted Maggie sitting at the table staring forlornly into her coffee, an open book next to her.

"Um…Yeah" Maggie mumbled distractedly. She looked up for a brief moment before turning her gaze back to the book.

"What are you reading?" Faith asked a couple of minutes later as she dropped into a seat at the table, a cup of steaming coffee in her hands.

"Nothing!" Maggie shut the book and pulled it closer as the slayer leaned closer in an attempt to see what it was "It's…Nothing"

"You're being weird" Faith noted as she sipped at her steaming coffee "What's going on?"

"Nothing" Maggie mumbled, her tone slightly guilty "Maybe you should ask Buffy"

"Buffy already told me what's going on" Faith stated. When she was met with Maggie's shocked expression she took the chance to reach over and grab the book "Curses and Prophecies…" she looked up sharply "Wait, I thought you didn't know?"

"Tara let it slip last night" Maggie murmured still slightly shocked "So Buffy told you?"

"That I'm going to die?" Faith nodded and leaned back slightly in her chair "Yeah, she told me"

"You don't seem too bothered by that fact" Maggie frowned in concern. When Faith merely shrugged in response she shook her head disdainfully and turned back to her book.

"I'm not going to freak out about it" Faith finally spoke. She paused for a moment but when Maggie ignored her she spoke up again "Maggie?" no response was forthcoming from the other girl and Faith frowned thoughtfully "Did I do something?...Maggie!" she sighed when Maggie still didn't answer her and slumped back in her seat "Whatever"

A matter of minutes passed in tense silence before Bianca rushed into the room, obviously in a hurry "Has anyone seen my keys?"

"Counter" Faith spoke up when she realised Maggie was still unwilling to.

"Shit" Bianca muttered as she rushed to the counter and picked up her keys "I'm going to be so late"

"Where are you going?" Maggie asked finally as she looked up from the book she had been pretending to read.

"Work" Bianca said as she moved over and pressed a quick kiss to her fiancé's lips.

"But what about…" Maggie began to protest almost instantly.

"I'll tell you if she tries anything" Bianca promised hurriedly "I promise"

"Okay" Maggie didn't seem happy with the situation but she nodded anyway "I'll see you later than"

"Yeah" Bianca nodded and glanced back at Faith as she began to back towards the door "Bye Faith, Call me if you need anything"

Faith nodded as she watched Bianca go before she glanced at Maggie "What was that about? Is somebody bothering Bianca?"

Maggie glanced at her briefly but again didn't respond.

"This is ridiculous" Faith sighed irritably "What's going on with you today?"

"What's going on with _me_?" Maggie echoed sharply as she looked back up "Why don't you tell me what's going on with you?"

"Nothing!" Faith argued, seeming completely lost as to what had triggered the argument "Apart from dying but…You're the one who has some sort of problem with me Mags"

"NO!" Maggie yelled angrily as she stood up from the table "I have a Problem with your 'I don't give a crap that I could DROP DEAD TOMMOROW ATTITUDE!"

"I didn't say that I…"

"Whatever" Maggie interrupted as she grabbed her book from the table "Just leave me alone, Okay Faith?"

"Maggie, Wait a minute" Faith stated as she jumped up from her seat and rushed after the younger girl "We should talk about this"

"I don't want to talk to you" Maggie threw back over her shoulder as she continued her fast paced walk through the living room towards the stairs.

"But…" Faith trailed off and drew to a halt as her gaze fell on Buffy lingering next to the front door, oblivious to the argument. As Maggie made her way up the stairs Faith remained still, watching her girlfriend's hand hover indecisively over the door handle "So you're…Taking off again"

Buffy jumped and turned around guiltily at the sound of Faith's voice "Faith…"

"You're doing it again" Faith crossed her arms defensively in front of her "You come back, mess with my emotions and now you're leaving?"

"I wasn't…"

"What is this to you now Buffy?" Faith questioned painfully, her stance loosening as she took a step forward "Just Sex? Because that seems to be all you want me for now" seeing Buffy was about to interrupt she continued quickly "I mean you don't stick around long enough to talk"

"I wasn't leaving" Buffy finally managed to say "I was just going to pick up my stuff from where I was staying. That is…I mean, if you want me to stay"

"Oh" Faith visibly relaxed but bit her lip guiltily "I'm…I'm sorry"

"Don't be" Buffy smiled sadly "You don't trust me…That's my fault. I haven't given you any reason to trust me again"

Faith nodded briefly, her expression troubled.

"So do you?" Buffy asked after a moment's silence.

"Do I what?" Faith frowned in confusion.

"Do you…Want me to stay?" Buffy swallowed nervously "Because I'd completely understand if you wanted me to leave"

"Of course I want you to stay" Faith answered instantly.

"Right" Buffy murmured interrupting the tense silence that had settled between them "Well…I have to go and get my stuff"

"Okay" Faith nodded "I'd go with you but…" she motioned towards the stairs "Maggie's having some kind of meltdown. She knows about the…Dying thing"

Buffy flinched involuntarily as the words left her girlfriends lips "Oh..." she took a deep breath before speaking again "You should talk to her"

"Uh-huh" Faith watched as Buffy began to open the door "B?" she walked forward so she was mere inches from the blonde.

"Yeah?" Buffy asked softly as she turned to face the other slayer.

"We'll talk when you get back" Faith promised "About all of this. About us."

"Okay" Buffy nodded and began to turn back to the door.

"Wait!" Faith grabbed Buffy's hand suddenly and pulled her into her arms. Though surprised at first Buffy returned the hug just as tightly, feeling tears spring to her eyes.

"I may not trust you yet" Faith whispered emotionally "But…I hope you come back"

"I hope so too" Buffy responded sincerely as she tightened her grip.

"Okay" Faith forced herself to pull away and lightly wiped a stray tear from the other girl's cheek "Go"

"I'm going" Buffy smiled weakly before she turned and walked out of the house.

"Fuck" Faith took a deep breath as she watched the door close "This is hard"

~~X~~

Maggie sighed from her position on the bathroom floor as she heard footsteps thumping along the corridor towards her.

"Maggie?" Faith's voice sounded slightly amused as she knocked on the bathroom door "Have you seriously locked yourself in the bathroom to get away from me?"

"My room doesn't have a lock" Maggie replied stonily "The bathroom was the best option"

"So can I come in?" Faith requested "We should talk"

Maggie rolled her eyes "Usually when somebody locks the door to get away from you it means they don't _want_ to talk"

"Why?" a soft thud sounded informing Maggie that Faith was leaning against the door "What did I do?"

"It doesn't matter" Maggie answered tightly "I just don't want to talk right now, okay?"

"I could break the lock you know" Faith pointed out.

"That's an invasion of privacy"

"Come on Maggie, just let me in!" Faith pleaded "Seriously, B will kill me if I kick the door down again" she paused for a moment but when there was no response she sighed heavily "We need to talk about wh…" she trailed off when the door opened and almost fell through it due to the fact that she'd been leaning on it before it had opened.

"Hey" she said in surprise "You opened the door"

"Apparently" Maggie said sulkily "Just because you don't seem to be able to comprehend the idea that I don't want to talk"

"Right" Faith pushed Maggie back into the bathroom and followed her closing the door behind them "You're going to tell me what's wrong with you"

"Nothing's wrong with me" Maggie crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the sink.

"Of course not" Faith said sarcastically "That's why you locked yourself in the bathroom and you're refusing to talk to me"

"You're an ass sometimes, you know?" Maggie frowned as she looked away from the slayer's gaze.

"Thanks" Faith grinned much to Maggie's annoyance.

"I don't understand what your problem is" Maggie straightened up and glared at the older girl "Seriously, what is it?"

""Um…" Faith paused for a moment, confusion darkening her expression "I have no idea what you're talking about Mags"

"How can you be so calm?" Maggie asked disbelievingly "You're DYING! Don't you get that? You're going to…You're going to DIE!"

"Oh"

"Oh" Maggie laughed bitterly "All you can say is 'Oh'…Brilliant"

"Come on Maggie…"

"NO!" Maggie snapped angrily "Don't 'Come on Maggie' me! You're dying and you don't give a shit Faith. I'm just…" she shook her head and averted her eyes "I can't…I feel like I can't breathe"

"Maggie" Faith stepped forward and placed a hand on Maggie's arm only to be shrugged off almost immediately.

"Don't" Maggie whispered tearfully "Just don't okay?"

Faith stayed silent for a moment as she watched Maggie pensively before speaking "I care"

"What?"

"I care that I could die" Faith admitted softly "It's scaring the crap out of me…Do you really think that I want to die? That I want to leave you, Buffy, Bianca and Miranda when…" her voice broke causing Maggie to glance up at her "I don't want to die Maggie and I'm going to fight like hell to stay alive, okay? But I can't…I _can't_ show how terrified I actually am"

"I don't want you to die" Maggie murmured emotionally "You _can't_ die!"

"There's something wrong with you" Faith observed softly "Something more than this" she watched as Maggie walked across the small bathroom and sat on the floor next to the door "Maggie" she moved over to the younger girl and sat next to her leaning against the wall "Tell me what's going on"

"You don't need to know" Maggie took a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself "It's stupid"

"Tell me" Faith insisted "I want to know. Really"

"It's just…" Maggie closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall "It feels like everything's falling apart around here. You and Buffy, Bianca…Nothing's stable anymore" she turned her head and opened her eyes to look at Faith "I'm not even sure about how secure my relationship with Bianca is right now because of the Lena thing and now…You're dying" she laughed humourlessly as tears stung at her eyes once again "I can't even think about that seriously because…I can't imagine you not being around"

"I'm sorry" Faith whispered.

"You're not supposed to do this" Maggie said as she pulled her knees to her chest "You're not meant to be a shaky thing in my life"

"What do you mean?" Faith shifted closer "I'm not sure I get you"

"You're not meant to disappear" Maggie said quietly "You're meant to be steady. We have like an unspoken pact, you know? We're supposed to be steady. You're not supposed to just die on me!"

Faith swallowed heavily against the lump in her throat "I get it"

"It's kind of ridiculous" Maggie chuckled despite her tears "I never thought that we would be this close when we first met. There's like an…I don't know…A platonic but really strong connection, if that makes sense but…"

"But?"

"But I wonder sometimes…" Maggie said regretfully, looking away from Faith's gaze "If maybe it would have been easier if that vampire had never attacked in the alley"

Faith flinched and shuffled away from Maggie, hurt obvious in her eyes "Is that…A subtle way of saying you wish you'd never met me?"

"No!" Maggie shook her head quickly suddenly wishing she could take her words back "No…Faith" she reached out and grabbed the slayer's hand tightly "You're my best friend. I would never wish…" she paused unsurely "I don't know how to make you understand"

Faith shrugged painstakingly "Don't worry about it"

"You're my person" Maggie announced suddenly.

"I'm what?" Faith lifted her gaze to look at Maggie in confusion.

"My person" Maggie said firmly "You know…Bianca is my fiancé and you…are my person"

"I'm still not getting it" Faith chuckled lightly and ran her free hand through her hair.

"You're…" Maggie paused unsure as to how to explain herself "You're the person I would call if say for instance I had killed somebody and I needed help to drag the body across the floor. Not that I would ever kill somebody"

"Geeze, thanks Mags" Faith laughed genuinely "I'm your accomplice to murder…Great"

"No, I didn't mean…" Maggie bit her lip in frustration "I mean I would call you because I know you would be there and you wouldn't judge me"

"Are we still talking about this fake murder?" Faith grinned.

"About everything" Maggie said sincerely "Because I could depend on you to _be there_. I mean I'm completely 100% in love with Bianca but there are some things I can't talk to her about…Y'know? Like Lena. This isn't making any sense is it?"

"Yeah, it is" Faith nodded slowly "You're just confusing yourself"

"You're my person" Maggie reiterated softly "Which means you absolutely _cannot_ die because…Somebody's 'Person' cannot be replaced and if you weren't here I'd be person-less so…"

"Maggie?" Faith interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Stop talking" Faith instructed with a small smile "I get it. If I die you'll kill me"

"Something like that" Maggie nodded faintly.

"So…You were talking about Bianca?" Faith question in confusion after a moment "She who must not be named has come back?"

Maggie could help the laugh that escaped her at Faith statement "Apparently she said she was leaving but she didn't and now she's work stalking my fiancé"

"I could kick her ass for you" Faith offered only half joking "Just a little bit?"

"You'd probably get in trouble" Maggie murmured "But thanks anyway" she fell silent for a moment before speaking up "I feel like I'm losing her"

"Hey" Faith shuffled back to Maggie's side maintaining the tight grip on her hand "You are not going to lose Bianca, okay? She would never leave you for Lena, you know that. She loves you"

"I'm being stupid" Maggie sniffled quietly.

"A little bit" Faith said honestly "But it's okay. It's my job as your person to ignore your blonde moments"

"Hey" Maggie laughed and swatted Faith's arm gently "Shut up!"

"Ow!" Faith exclaimed in mock pain "That hurt!"

"No, it didn't" Maggie grinned as she pulled her hand away from the slayers.

"You and Bianca are going to be fine you know" Faith said sincerely as she leaned back against the wall "You'll get through this"

Maggie nodded and leaned her head against Faith's shoulder "So will you and Buffy"

"I hope so" Faith smiled faintly.

"And we're going to fix you" Maggie added firmly "There has to be a way"

"Maggie?"

"Uh-huh?" Maggie responded softly.

"You're definitely my person too" Faith smiled faintly.

~~X~~

"You came back" Faith observed as she stopped in the doorway to her bedroom.

"I came back" Buffy confirmed as she looked up "I told you I would" she paused for a moment and watched as Faith entered the room, her hands shoved into her pockets "I would tell you that I'm not going to leave again but…"

"But what?" Faith questioned as she cautiously sat on the bed next to the other slayer "You don't know if you will?"

"No" Buffy shook her head "I don't think you'd believe me if I said it though" a tense silence settle between them before she spoke up again "So how did the thing with Maggie go? Is she okay?"

"She's fine" Faith answered distractedly.

"Good…That's good" Buffy muttered as she looked away awkwardly, silence once again engulfing them.

"You're right" Faith said suddenly "I don't trust you anymore" Buffy visibly flinched at the statement but the brunette forced herself to continue "And I don't know how to fix that"

"Oh…" Buffy bit her lip against approaching tears and silently cursed herself "S-so you're saying you think we should…Give up on us? You're breaking up with me"

"It makes a change from you breaking up with me" Faith sniped without thinking. She watched Buffy stand up and turn away from her obviously trying to maintain control and felt a fraction of guilt at her words "I'm…I'm sorry. That was…"

"Completely fair" Buffy stated without turning back around "It's true…What I did to you is unforgivable"

"B…"

"I don't expect you to forgive me" Buffy said as she turned back around "I don't deserve it. And if what you want is for me to leave you alone than that's what I'll do"

"You'd just…Walk away?" Faith questioned carefully "From everything we had together?"

"We were friends way before we got together" Buffy pointed out as she subtly swiped tears from her cheek "I wouldn't walk away completely unless you wanted me to"

"Shit" Faith muttered as she stood up and began to pace restlessly back and forth. She stopped for a moment next to the door and braced a hand against it "Is that what you want? You don't want to be with me like we were?"

"No!" Buffy exclaimed quickly "I'm not saying this is what I want. I'm just saying that there are other options if that's what _you_ want"

"Do you want to be with me?" Faith turned around leaning back against the door.

"You don't trust me" Buffy stated.

"That's not what I asked"

"Of course I _want_ to be with you" Buffy sighed and ran a hand through her hair in frustration "I didn't want to leave you in the first place"

"So…I think we should try" Faith took a small step forward "We'll take it slow this time. I don't want you to leave but I don't want to mess this up either" she bit her lip thoughtfully "We have to rebuild what we had…The trust. That might take a while and it's not going to be easy…"

"I'll do it" Buffy swore solemnly.

"Okay than" Faith smiled softly "We're going to do this"

"We're going to do this" Buffy confirmed softly.

TBC


End file.
